A Number of Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt following a Delta jet originating in LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated five individuals, and transported a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included pain in the back and head pain. Those affected spanned from their 30s to 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with experts indicating that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the official added, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

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

The reasons turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing disturbed air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.