Several Injured as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they evaluated five patients, and transported three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that such as back pain and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

On board were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official noted, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

Paramedics indicated they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through unstable air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.