Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by rough air this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services reported they treated five individuals, and transferred three to a medical facility with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and migraines. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the newest example of commercial jets being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

There were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds before the plane landed, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is becoming more frequent - and often stronger.

During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.