A Number of Injured as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transported three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that such as pain in the back and head pain. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

It is the latest incident of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the representative said, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight went through a harrowing brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through rough air masses exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that flying could become more turbulent: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to increase the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.