A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta jet traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they evaluated five patients, and transported a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the most recent case of planes being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the representative noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is growing more common - and often stronger.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million journeys that now take off globally.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet going through unstable air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.