A Number of Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney

Several people sustained injuries after a Delta aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered significant turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated five patients, and took three to the hospital with minor injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists saying that climate change is a key driver.

On board were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official said, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics said they got a call just three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" turbulence just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight went through a harrowing short but intense period of extreme instability. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Estimates show 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 now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane going through disturbed air exert in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As global warming shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.