Multiple Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services said they evaluated a total of five people, and transported three of them to the hospital with minor injuries that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected spanned from their 30s to 70s.

It is the latest incident of aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a major factor.

There were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the representative noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane landed, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" turbulence just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler lost their life and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are an estimated thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of over 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As climate change alters the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.