Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

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

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed a total of five people, and transported a trio to hospital with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and head pain. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the most recent case of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official said, adding that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they got a call just three minutes prior to the plane landed, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "severe" turbulence just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight went through a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while occurrences of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that are conducted around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane going through rough air masses exert more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As global warming shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.