A Number of Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta aircraft originating in LA to Sydney encountered rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson informed. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

Local paramedics reported they evaluated five individuals, and took three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

It is the most recent case of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official said, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics reported they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is getting more common - and often stronger.

Last year, 25 people were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing disturbed air exert 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 a changing climate shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are likely to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.