Multiple Affected as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta flight traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed a total of five people, and transferred three to hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised back pain and head pain. The patients' ages were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson said, stating that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics reported they got a call just three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.

During the past year, 25 people were hurt when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" turbulence just two hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying short but intense of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of more than 35 million journeys that now take off globally.

Intense turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through unstable air exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.