A Number of Injured as Turbulence Hits Delta Aircraft into Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services said they assessed a total of five people, and took three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as spinal discomfort and head pain. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft being hit by turbulence, with experts indicating that global warming is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson noted, adding that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they were alerted just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is growing more common - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" turbulence just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

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

Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft experiencing unstable air exert in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As a changing climate alters weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.