Multiple Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transported a trio to hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised pain in the back and head pain. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

It is the most recent case of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a significant contributor.

There were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official noted, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

Emergency responders said they were alerted just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more common - and more severe.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft experiencing rough air masses exert greater than 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 alters weather patterns, specialists caution that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.