Multiple Affected as Turbulence Impacts Delta Flight Landing at Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured after a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics reported they assessed a total of five people, and transferred three of them to hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and headaches. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.

It is the latest incident of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that global warming is a key driver.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official added, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Paramedics said they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and more severe.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are around 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through rough air masses apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.