Several Affected as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney experienced rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed five individuals, and transferred three to hospital with minor injuries that such as back pain and migraines. The patients' ages were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that global warming is a major factor.

On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe.

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight endured a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft going through unstable air apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As a changing climate alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.