A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced rough air this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Local paramedics reported they treated five individuals, and transferred three to hospital with minor injuries that included back pain and migraines. The injured were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the most recent case of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

Paramedics said they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.

During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million journeys that currently occur worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft going through unstable air generate in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As climate change shifts the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.