Multiple Affected as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they treated a total of five people, and transported three to hospital with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and migraines. The injured were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the newest example of planes experiencing turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the official said, stating that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

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

During the past year, 25 people were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a overall number of over 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing rough air masses exert more than 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 restraint.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.