Several Injured as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt after a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated a total of five people, and transferred three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and head pain. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

There were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official said, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. An individual died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft experiencing rough air masses exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become more turbulent: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.