Multiple Injured as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries after a Delta jet from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Local paramedics said they assessed a total of five people, and transported three of them to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included back pain and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the newest example of planes experiencing turbulence, with experts indicating that climate change is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative added, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Emergency responders reported they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

In 2024, travelers and staff on a certain international flight endured a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. One passenger died and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of over 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a aircraft going through rough air masses generate greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.