A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Impacts Delta Plane into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt after a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five patients, and transported three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and headaches. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts pointing out that climate change is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official added, stating that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and often stronger.

In the previous year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of more than 35 million journeys that are conducted worldwide.

Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a jet going through unstable air exert in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.