World's most turbulent flight routes revealed: What to expect
For many people, turbulence is the most unpleasant aspect of flying. On some routes, it occurs more frequently than on others. The British newspaper "The Independent" presented a list of the 10 most dangerous routes in the world in terms of severe turbulence.
3:01 PM EDT, May 28, 2024
For many passengers, turbulence is the worst part of flying. Although it happens surprisingly regularly, it can evoke fear even in the most experienced aviators.
The causes of sudden changes in aircraft altitude during flight can be diverse. Generally, they arise from the friction between air currents of different speeds. They result from changes in atmospheric pressure, shifting weather fronts, unexpected winds in mountainous regions, and storms.
Pilots and airlines try to avoid turbulence. In most cases, the pilot can anticipate the risk and warn passengers by turning on the "fasten seatbelt" sign.
According to data, the number of flights affected by severe turbulence is one in 50,000. Conditions caused by global warming mean that we may expect slightly more turbulence. According to data collected over the past 16 years by the Federal Aviation Administration, the average number of injuries related to severe turbulence in the USA is 33 per year.
Data from the "Turbli" website, which predicts turbulence, analyzed about 150,000 routes and showed the most dangerous routes in 2023.
The 1,600-mile journey between Santiago and Viru Viru International Airport in Bolivia was the most turbulent. The second most turbulent route was between Almaty in Kazakhstan and Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Six of the most turbulent journeys involved domestic routes in Japan and China (four routes involved takeoff and landing in Lanzhou, Chengdu, or Xianyang) and two European routes. The Milan - Geneva route is the most turbulent in Europe (and the fifth most turbulent in the world in 2023), while Milan - Zurich ranked tenth.
10 most dangerous routes in terms of turbulence in the world
1. Santiago (Chile) - Santa Cruz (Bolivia)
2. Almaty (Kazakhstan) - Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Lanzhou (China) - Chengdu (China)
4. Centrair (Japan) - Sendai (Japan)
5. Milan (Italy) - Geneva (Switzerland)
6. Lanzhou (China) - Xianyang (China)
7. Osaka (Japan) - Sendai (Japan)
8. Xianyang (China) - Chengdu (China)
9. Xianyang (China) - Chongqing (China)
10. Milan (Italy) - Zurich (Switzerland)
Only one case of disaster
As pilots and specialists emphasize, the only real risk involves the passengers' health. If they are suddenly thrown from their seats, they may suffer serious injuries. Therefore, they must fasten their seatbelts whenever the appropriate sign is illuminated.
There is only one widely documented case of an aircraft being destroyed due to turbulence. It happened in 1966 when the pilot of a Boeing 707 en route to Tokyo changed the course slightly to show passengers Mount Fuji. A sudden mountain wind gust of about 140 miles per hour tore the plane apart. Modern aircraft are now built to withstand even such an occurrence.
