Multiple Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney

Several people have been injured after a Delta flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated a total of five people, and took three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that included back pain and migraines. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.

It is the most recent case of planes being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official said, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they were alerted just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

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

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" turbulence just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a plane going through unstable air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.