A Number of Injured as Rough Air Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt following a Delta flight traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by rough air on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed five patients, and transported a trio to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and migraines. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that global warming is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson added, stating that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Emergency responders said they received a call just three minutes before the plane landed, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is growing more common - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "significant" rough air just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that now take off around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through rough air masses exert more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.