Several Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane into Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney experienced rough air on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they assessed five individuals, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included back pain and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers indicating that climate change is a key driver.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the representative noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics reported they got a call just three minutes before the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" rough air just two hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.