Several Hurt as Turbulence Impacts Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt after a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated a total of five people, and took three of them to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and migraines. Those affected spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative noted, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" turbulence just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. An individual passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that are conducted worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a jet going through disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.