Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics stated they assessed a total of five people, and took three to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as pain in the back and migraines. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a major factor.

On board were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative said, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they were alerted just three minutes before the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more frequent - and often stronger.

During the past year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" turbulence just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of over 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the up and down movements of a jet experiencing rough air masses exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to heighten the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.