A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants were injured.

Emergency medical services said they evaluated a total of five people, and transferred a trio to the hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson noted, clarifying that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just three minutes before the plane arrived, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and often stronger.

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "severe" turbulence just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that now take off worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a jet going through unstable air exert more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As global warming modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.