A Number of Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt following a Delta flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney experienced turbulence on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they evaluated five patients, and transported three to hospital with minor injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured spanned from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the most recent case of planes being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official said, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Paramedics said they were alerted just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is growing more common - and often stronger.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a overall number of more than 35 million flights that are conducted around the world.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft experiencing unstable air exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As global warming shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.