Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney

Several people have been injured after a Delta flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they treated five individuals, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of planes encountering turbulence, with experts saying that climate change is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official added, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics said they received a call just three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of more than 35 million journeys that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through unstable air apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As global warming shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.