Multiple Injured as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured after a Delta aircraft originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services said they evaluated five patients, and took a trio to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the newest example of planes being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official said, clarifying that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Emergency responders reported they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

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

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet experiencing rough air masses exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.