A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Plane into Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered turbulence Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services stated they evaluated five patients, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.

It is the most recent case of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that global warming is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

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

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of over 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through rough air masses generate greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.