A Number of Hurt as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines jet traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they treated five individuals, and transferred three to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as pain in the back and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the newest example of commercial jets experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers saying that climate change is a key driver.

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just three minutes before the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more common - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were injured when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" rough air just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing disturbed air apply more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As climate change shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.