A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five individuals, and took a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists pointing out that climate change is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official added, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

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

During the past year, 25 people were hurt when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are around thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.