Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they treated five individuals, and took three of them to 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 aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with experts indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the official said, adding that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders said they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

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

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and fell back down.

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

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million journeys that are conducted around the world.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through disturbed air apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.