Several Injured as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured when a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed five individuals, and transported three to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

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

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

Paramedics reported they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft experiencing disturbed air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As a changing climate alters weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.