Several Affected as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries after a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated a total of five people, and transported a trio to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised back pain and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the newest example of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a key driver.

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "severe" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a terrifying five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual died and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that currently occur worldwide.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air exert more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.