A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney encountered rough air on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services stated they evaluated five patients, and took three to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and head pain. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the latest incident of planes experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a major factor.

On board were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the representative added, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Emergency responders indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

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

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a certain international flight went through a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to heighten the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.