Multiple Affected as Rough Air Strikes Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they evaluated five individuals, and took three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the representative noted, adding that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported 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.

The reasons turbulence is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a jet going through unstable air generate greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to boost the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.