A Number of Affected as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they evaluated five patients, and transported three of them to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included pain in the back and migraines. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the most recent case of aircraft experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson noted, clarifying that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

Paramedics said they got a call just three minutes 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.

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through disturbed air apply more than a significant G-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.