Several Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five individuals, and transported a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and headaches. Those affected spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the newest example of aircraft encountering turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more common - and often stronger.

During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

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

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through unstable air exert more than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.