A Number of Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

A number of individuals sustained injuries following a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered rough air this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services reported they treated five individuals, and took three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that such as pain in the back and head pain. The patients' ages were between their thirties and seventies.

It is the newest example of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with experts pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson added, adding that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, 25 people were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a harrowing brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the up and down movements of a jet experiencing rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and altered air currents in the jet stream level are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.