A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta Airlines flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the most recent case of aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with experts pointing out that climate change is a significant contributor.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official added, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Paramedics reported they got a call just three minutes before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe.

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight endured a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that currently occur around the world.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a jet going through rough air masses exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.