A Number of Injured as Rough Air Strikes Delta Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt after a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they treated a total of five people, and took three to hospital with minor injuries that such as spinal discomfort and head pain. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the newest example of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with experts indicating that global warming is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, adding that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they got a call just three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is getting more common - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a harrowing brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted worldwide.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a plane going through rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate alters weather patterns, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.