Several Affected as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney

Several people sustained injuries when a Delta jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. Several cabin crew members were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they assessed a total of five people, and took a trio to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the latest incident of aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics said they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane landed, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" turbulence just two hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through disturbed air exert more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As a changing climate alters the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.