Multiple Injured as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they treated a total of five people, and transferred a trio to the hospital with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

This marks the latest incident of planes encountering atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

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

Paramedics indicated they received a call just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight experienced a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Intense turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a jet passing through disturbed air generate in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.