Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Impacts Delta Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed a total of five people, and transferred a trio to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and head pain. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the most recent case of planes being hit by turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, clarifying that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

In the previous year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" turbulence just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane going through rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As global warming alters weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to increase the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.