Several Injured as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

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

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five individuals, and transported a trio to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as pain in the back and migraines. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers saying that global warming is a key driver.

There were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official said, stating that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

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

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while occurrences of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft experiencing disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As global warming shifts atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.