A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Plane into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five individuals, and took a trio to a medical facility with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.

It is the newest example of commercial jets being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative said, stating that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane landed, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" turbulence just two hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane passing through rough air masses exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and altered air currents in the jet stream level are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.