Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured after a Delta Airlines jet traveling from LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. Four flight attendants were injured.

Emergency medical services said they treated five individuals, and transferred three to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.

It is the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a major factor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official added, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders said they got a call just three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and often stronger.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a frightening short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a plane experiencing rough air masses generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As a changing climate alters weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.