A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries following a Delta flight traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Local paramedics reported they assessed a total of five people, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.

It is the newest example of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers saying that global warming is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" rough air just two hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a harrowing brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million journeys that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through unstable air apply greater than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As global warming modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.