Multiple Injured as Rough Air Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured following a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney encountered rough air this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transported a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that included pain in the back and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft being hit by turbulence, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official said, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

Emergency responders said they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

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

In the previous year, 25 people were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that flying could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.