Several Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they assessed a total of five people, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that included back pain and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.

This marks the newest example of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers saying that climate change is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official said, adding that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Paramedics said they received a call just three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

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

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight endured a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted 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 - enough to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.