Multiple Injured as Turbulence Impacts Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt following a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they assessed a total of five people, and transferred three to the hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft encountering turbulence, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a key driver.

There were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official said, adding that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics said they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is getting more common - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, 25 people were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.