A Number of Injured as Turbulence Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured after a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated a total of five people, and took three to hospital with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a key driver.

On board were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the official added, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics said they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more frequent - and more severe.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" turbulence just two hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

In 2024, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from 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.

Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that now take off around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a aircraft experiencing rough air masses apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.