A Number of Affected as Rough Air Impacts Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt following a Delta aircraft originating in LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transported three to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included spinal discomfort and migraines. Those affected spanned from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the newest example of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that global warming is a key driver.

On board were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the representative added, clarifying that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.

During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a frightening brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that now take off around the world.

Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through disturbed air generate in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are expected to heighten the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.