Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured after a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they treated five patients, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. Those affected spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, adding that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders said they got a call just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a plane passing through rough air masses exert greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.