A Number of Injured as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney

Several people have been injured after a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five patients, and transferred three of them to hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of planes being hit by turbulence, with researchers pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson noted, clarifying that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

Paramedics reported they got a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million journeys that are conducted worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft going through unstable air generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.