Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Plane Landing at Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured after a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated a total of five people, and took three to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. The injured were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of planes experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that climate change is a major factor.

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

Paramedics said they got a call just three minutes before the plane arrived, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is getting more common - and more severe.

In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a total of more than 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane going through disturbed air apply more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.