Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured after a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Local paramedics said they treated a total of five people, and took a trio to hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson said, clarifying that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics said they were alerted just three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a certain international flight went through a terrifying five seconds of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet passing through disturbed air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.