A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Impacts Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney

Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they treated five patients, and took three to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. The patients' ages were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that climate change is a major factor.

On board were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the representative noted, adding that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more frequent - and more severe.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying short but intense of severe turbulence. An individual died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that air travel could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are likely to heighten the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.