A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated five individuals, and took three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised spinal discomfort and head pain. The patients' ages were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the newest example of commercial jets being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that global warming is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they were alerted just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is getting more common - and often stronger.

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight went through a terrifying five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that now take off around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet going through unstable air generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.