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

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta jet from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced significant turbulence this past Friday.

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.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of planes encountering turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

On board were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the official noted, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Intense turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through disturbed air apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that flying could become more turbulent: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.