Several Injured as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they treated a total of five people, and transported three of them to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the newest example of planes encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they were alerted just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more frequent - and often stronger.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a harrowing five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are an estimated thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.