A Number of Affected as Turbulence Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

Several people sustained injuries when a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney encountered rough air Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed five individuals, 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 most recent case of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.

There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the representative said, adding that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

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

The reasons turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight went through a harrowing short but intense of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are around thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a aircraft going through unstable air apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to heighten the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.