A Number of Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney encountered rough air this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they treated five patients, and took three to the hospital with minor injuries that comprised back pain and headaches. The injured were between their thirties and seventies.

It is the most recent case of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson said, adding that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Paramedics said they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and often stronger.

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight endured a harrowing brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that now take off around the world.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet going 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 climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.