Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they evaluated five patients, and took a trio to hospital with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the newest example of aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with experts indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official added, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they were alerted just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. An individual died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that are conducted around the world.

Severe turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing unstable air apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.