Several Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Plane into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Local paramedics reported they treated five individuals, and transferred three to the hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts indicating that global warming is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson added, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is getting more common - and often stronger.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" turbulence just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a plane going through rough air masses exert more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As climate change modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.