A Number of Injured as Rough Air Hits A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney

Several people sustained injuries following a Delta aircraft originating in LA to Sydney experienced rough air this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that included back pain and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

It is the most recent case of planes being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative noted, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "severe" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.

Intense turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing unstable air apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As global warming alters the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.