Multiple Affected as Rough Air Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants were injured.

Local paramedics reported they assessed a total of five people, and took a trio to the hospital with minor injuries that included back pain and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

It is the latest incident of aircraft encountering turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Emergency responders indicated they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more frequent - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through unstable air apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.