A Number of Affected as Rough Air Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft Landing at Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants were injured.

Emergency medical services said they treated five individuals, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as back pain and head pain. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the newest example of commercial jets being hit by severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that global warming is a major factor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative said, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and often stronger.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight went through a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is fairly routine during flights, and while cases of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.

Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through rough air masses generate greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As a changing climate modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.