A Number of Injured as Turbulence Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people sustained injuries after a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services said they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three to a medical facility with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

It is the newest example of commercial jets experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers indicating that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson said, clarifying that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics said they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through unstable air generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As climate change modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.