Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Impacts Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics stated they assessed five patients, and took a trio to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included pain in the back and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s to 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that climate change is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson noted, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

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

During the past year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" rough air just two hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual died and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while cases of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a sum of over 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through unstable air exert greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.