Several Affected as Turbulence Impacts Delta Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines jet traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated five individuals, and took three to hospital with minor injuries that included pain in the back and headaches. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.

There were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" turbulence just two hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while cases of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that are conducted around the world.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing rough air masses generate more than a significant G-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.