A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Flight Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five individuals, and took three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official said, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics reported they received a call just three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a frightening brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet going through disturbed air exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.