Several Affected as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed five individuals, and took three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. Those affected spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the newest example of commercial jets encountering turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the representative said, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

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

Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that now take off worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through unstable air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.