Several Injured as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Landing at Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured when a Delta aircraft 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 Sydney Airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they evaluated five patients, and transported three of them to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the latest incident of planes being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers pointing out that global warming is a key driver.

There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the representative added, adding that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

Emergency responders indicated they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" turbulence just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying brief five-second of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that are conducted around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet going through rough air masses apply more than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As global warming shifts the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.