Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced rough air Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they assessed a total of five people, and took a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included back pain and migraines. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of planes experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that climate change is a major factor.

On board were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative said, adding that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they got a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is becoming more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, 25 people were hurt when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that now take off around the world.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a jet going through disturbed air generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change modifies weather patterns, experts warn that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.