Multiple Injured as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane into Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured after a Delta Airlines flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Four flight attendants were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five patients, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that global warming is a key driver.

On board were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the representative said, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and more severe.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a frightening short but intense of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million journeys that now take off globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through rough air masses exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become more turbulent: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.