A Number of Affected as Turbulence Strikes Delta Flight into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured after a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.

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

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to the hospital with minor injuries that included pain in the back and head pain. The injured were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the newest example of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that climate change is a key driver.

There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative added, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders said they got a call just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" turbulence just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while cases of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.