Several Affected as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by rough air this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they evaluated a total of five people, and took three of them to hospital with relatively minor issues that included back pain and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the newest example of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with experts indicating that climate change is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson added, adding that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and often stronger.

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight endured a frightening short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted worldwide.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane passing through disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.