A Number of Injured as Turbulence Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated a total of five people, and took a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and migraines. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

Paramedics said they received a call just three minutes before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and often stronger.

In the previous year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" turbulence just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a jet experiencing disturbed air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become bumpier: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.