Several Affected as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated five patients, and took three of them to the hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds before the plane landed, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and had to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a frightening brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that currently occur globally.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are expected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.