A Number of Injured as Rough Air Impacts Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney

Several people have been injured after a Delta Airlines flight from LA to Sydney, Australia encountered turbulence on Friday morning.

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

Emergency medical services said they assessed five individuals, and transferred three to the hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

There were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson said, stating that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and often stronger.

During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of more than 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur globally.

Severe turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through disturbed air apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As global warming alters weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.