A Number of Affected as Rough Air Impacts Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines flight from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they evaluated five patients, and transported three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the most recent case of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

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

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "severe" turbulence just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a harrowing short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that now take off worldwide.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through disturbed air exert more than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to heighten the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.