A Number of Affected as Turbulence Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta Airlines aircraft from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

Local paramedics stated they assessed five patients, and took three of them to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the newest example of commercial jets being hit by severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson said, adding that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

Emergency responders said they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more common - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are approximately thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur around the world.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through disturbed air exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.