A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney

Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Local paramedics stated they treated a total of five people, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that included back pain and headaches. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

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

Why plane turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a certain international flight endured a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are around 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a jet going through disturbed air apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.