The seat belt sign goes on, you return to your seat, buckle your belt
and the plane starts to shake. You lightly grip your seat rest.
For nervous flyers, it’s a familiar scenario. Most times, after a few
bumps, the aircraft resumes to its smooth flight pattern. Relieved, you
return to your book.
Singapore Airlines turbulence: Why the Bay of Bengal is notorious
Former pilot says time of year is a potential factor in causing rocky plane rides. Read more here.
The chances of severe turbulence, like that which caused one death
and dozens of injuries on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, flying from
London to Singapore, depend on the route you are flying, and to some
extent the time of year.
The most turbulent flights of all connect Santiago in Chile to Santa
Cruz in Bolivia, according to flight turbulence tool Turbli. Turbulence
on this route is generated by winds from the Pacific Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean flowing almost perpendicular to the Andes.
But you don’t need to fly long distance to experience extreme
turbulence. The shortest-range routes with highest average turbulence
connect Almaty in Kazakhstan with Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, a distance of
just 210km. The route is second only to Santiago-Santa Cruz as the worst
in the world for air turbulence.
Other short-range routes with a high turbulence ranking are the 661km
flight route between Lanzhou and Chengdu in China; Tokoname and Sendai
in Japan; Milan and Geneva in Switzerland; Lanzhou and Xi'an in China;
Osaka and Sendai in Japan; Xi'an and Chengdu in China; and Xi'an and
Chongqing in China.
Long-range routes with highest average turbulence are led by three
routes from Tokyo: Tokyo-Kathmandu; Tokyo-New Delhi; and Tokyo-Dhaka.
Some experts fear climate change will increase the chances of air
turbulence and make it more intense. A study published last year found
evidence of large increases in clear-air turbulence between 1979 and
2020. In some locations severe turbulence increased by as much as 55%.
Most air turbulence is a short-lived event, but as pilots have been
warning passengers following the terrifying experience on SQ321, “Buckle
up, fasten your seat belt – and stay safe.”