A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney experienced rough air this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants were injured.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five patients, and transferred three of them to the hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.

It is the most recent case of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the representative said, adding that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders indicated they got a call just three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" turbulence just two hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through rough air masses exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As global warming modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.