Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines aircraft from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed five individuals, and transported three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the representative noted, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler lost their life and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through disturbed air apply greater than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are expected to increase the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.