Multiple Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta flight from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated five individuals, and took a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included pain in the back and head pain. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with researchers saying that global warming is a significant contributor.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official added, stating that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they were alerted just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight endured a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is fairly routine while flying, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing rough air masses apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are likely to increase the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.