A Number of Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that comprised spinal discomfort and head pain. Those affected were between their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the most recent case of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that global warming is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official said, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Emergency responders indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing rough air masses apply 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 a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.