Multiple Injured as Turbulence Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals sustained injuries when a Delta jet traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services stated they evaluated five patients, and transferred three to the hospital with minor injuries that such as pain in the back and headaches. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the newest example of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with experts indicating that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative said, adding that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just three minutes before the plane arrived, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is growing more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing short but intense of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the vertical motions of a aircraft experiencing disturbed air exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are expected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.