Several Injured as Rough Air Impacts Delta Flight Landing at Sydney

Several people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated five individuals, and took three to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and head pain. Those affected spanned from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the most recent case of planes encountering atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a key driver.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official said, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Paramedics reported they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more common - and often stronger.

In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight endured a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.

Intense turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a plane passing through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.