Multiple Injured as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in LA to Sydney encountered rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Four flight attendants were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they treated five individuals, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that included back pain and headaches. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.

It is the newest example of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that climate change is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the representative noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Paramedics reported they got a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were injured when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a plane experiencing disturbed air exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to boost the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.