Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta jet from LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated a total of five people, and transported a trio to the hospital with minor injuries that included back pain and headaches. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official said, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

Emergency responders indicated they got a call just three minutes before the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

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

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" turbulence just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an unscheduled landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing short but intense of severe turbulence. A traveler died and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing unstable air generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As global warming alters weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.