Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Hits A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured after a Delta jet from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they treated five patients, and transferred three of them to hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised pain in the back and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the newest example of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with experts saying that climate change is a key driver.

On board were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official added, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they got a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and more severe.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted around the world.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a jet going through unstable air generate more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.