Several Affected as Rough Air Impacts Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt after a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney encountered turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they assessed five individuals, and transported three to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as pain in the back and headaches. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, adding that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics reported they got a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is getting more common - and more severe.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing rough air masses generate greater than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.