Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt following a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five patients, and took a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as spinal discomfort and migraines. Those affected spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative said, stating that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds before the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more common - and more severe.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" rough air just two hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while cases of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through disturbed air apply more than a significant G-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that air travel could become less smooth: temperature changes and altered air currents in the jet stream level are expected to increase the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.