A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Plane into Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated a total of five people, and took a trio to the hospital with minor injuries that included back pain and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s to 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with experts pointing out that climate change is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official added, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

Emergency responders indicated they got a call just three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are approximately thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that are conducted around the world.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through rough air masses generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.