Several Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services said they treated a total of five people, and transported three to hospital with minor injuries that such as pain in the back and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the most recent case of aircraft being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson added, adding that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics indicated they were alerted just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

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

Last year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" turbulence just two hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a harrowing brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the vertical motions of a jet going through rough air masses generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that air travel could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.