A Number of Injured as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane into Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured after a Delta flight from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they assessed five individuals, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that global warming is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official said, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is getting more common - and often stronger.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing disturbed air generate greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As global warming alters weather patterns, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are expected to boost the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.