A Number of Injured as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt after a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered rough air this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

Local paramedics said they assessed five individuals, and took three to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of planes encountering severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more common - and often stronger.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a harrowing five seconds of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off worldwide.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a aircraft experiencing disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.

As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.