Several Affected as Turbulence Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight from LA to Sydney was hit by rough air on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated five patients, and transferred three to a medical facility with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the newest example of planes being hit by turbulence, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the representative said, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Paramedics indicated they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a terrifying five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur globally.

Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft experiencing rough air masses apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.