A Number of Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated five patients, and transported three of them to the hospital with minor injuries that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. The injured were between their 30s to 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is growing more common - and more severe.

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight endured a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing rough air masses exert greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As a changing climate alters weather patterns, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are expected to boost the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.