Several Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services reported they treated a total of five people, and transported a trio to the hospital with minor injuries that included back pain and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the newest example of planes encountering severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official added, clarifying that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

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

Why plane turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million journeys that are conducted globally.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing unstable air generate greater than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As global warming alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to heighten the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.