A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Flight Landing at Sydney

Several people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five patients, and transferred a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that such as back pain and head pain. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets encountering turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

On board were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official added, stating that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

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

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and often stronger.

Last year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are around 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million journeys that now take off worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through rough air masses apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming alters weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.