Multiple Affected as Rough Air Hits Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured after a Delta Airlines flight from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they treated five individuals, and transported a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and migraines. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the most recent case of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official added, stating that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

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

Last year, 25 people were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" turbulence just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying five seconds of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are around thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur worldwide.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing disturbed air exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As global warming alters weather patterns, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are projected to heighten the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.