A Number of Injured as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

Several people have been injured after a Delta jet originating in LA to Sydney encountered rough air Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Emergency medical services said they treated five individuals, and transferred a trio to hospital with minor injuries that such as back pain and head pain. The injured spanned from their 30s to 70s.

It is the most recent case of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Emergency responders said they were alerted just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is getting more common - and often stronger.

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of more than 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing unstable air apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.