Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced rough air on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated five individuals, and transferred a trio to hospital with relatively minor issues that included back pain and headaches. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the newest example of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with researchers saying that global warming is a major factor.

On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official added, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Paramedics indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that currently occur globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing disturbed air exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.