Several Affected as Rough Air Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta Airlines jet from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Emergency medical services stated they assessed a total of five people, and transported three of them to hospital with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the most recent case of commercial jets being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Paramedics indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane landed, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

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

In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane going through rough air masses apply more than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are expected to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.