A Number of Affected as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane into Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt following a Delta aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they assessed a total of five people, and took a trio to hospital with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.

This marks the newest example of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the representative said, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying short but intense of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are around thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a sum of over 35 million journeys that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft going through rough air masses exert in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As global warming alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.