Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured after a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated five individuals, and transported three to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as pain in the back and migraines. The injured were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with experts saying that climate change is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official noted, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

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

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

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off worldwide.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.