Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft from LA to Sydney experienced rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official informed. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they evaluated five patients, and took a trio to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the newest example of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with experts saying that global warming is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the official said, stating that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they got a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" turbulence just two hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through disturbed air apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are projected to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.