Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Impacts Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney encountered rough air this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they treated a total of five people, and transported three of them to hospital with minor injuries that included back pain and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the latest incident of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson noted, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Paramedics said they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

During the past year, 25 people were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. An individual lost their life and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through rough air masses apply more than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.