Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Impacts Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Several people sustained injuries after a Delta aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated five patients, and transferred three of them to the hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised back pain and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of planes being hit by severe turbulence, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson added, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane landed, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

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

During the past year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a certain international flight experienced a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a jet passing through rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As a changing climate alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.