Multiple Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney

Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet from LA to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed five individuals, and transported a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised back pain and head pain. Those affected spanned from their thirties and seventies.

This marks the newest example of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the representative said, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

Paramedics reported they got a call just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a terrifying five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a plane passing through disturbed air exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.