Several Affected as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated five patients, and transported a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. The injured spanned from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the newest example of commercial jets encountering turbulence, with experts indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the representative added, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Paramedics reported they were alerted just a mere three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and more severe.

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while occurrences of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million journeys that currently occur worldwide.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane experiencing disturbed air generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.