Multiple Affected as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt after a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney experienced rough air this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed a total of five people, and transported three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The patients' ages were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with experts saying that global warming is a significant contributor.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official added, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they got a call just three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" turbulence just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million flights that are conducted globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through disturbed air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.