A Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam was hit by severe turbulence on Wednesday, with 25 people on board injured and the flight diverted to Minnesota
An airline has banned a hot inflight snack as cases of a deadly form of turbulence soar.
A Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam was hit by severe turbulence on Wednesday, resulting in 25 passengers being hospitalised and the flight being diverted to Minnesota, underscoring the perils of flying through unstable air.
That was not the only case of bone shaking turbulence this year. Although fatalities due to turbulence are relatively rare, the number of injuries has been increasing over time. Some weather experts and aviation analysts note that reports of turbulence encounters are also on the rise, suggesting a potential link to changing climate conditions affecting flight conditions. This comes as Heathrow has announced a controversial expansion plan.
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While most turbulence experienced by planes is minor, airlines have been making efforts to enhance safety. Experts urge passengers to remain alert and emphasise the importance of wearing a seat belt whenever possible. Turbulence is essentially unpredictable movement of unstable air. It’s often associated with severe storms.
However, the most dangerous type is clear-air turbulence, which often occurs without any visible warning. Clear-air turbulence typically occurs in or near the high-altitude air currents known as jet streams. The main cause is wind shear, which happens when two large air masses moving at different speeds come into close proximity.
If the speed difference is significant enough, the atmosphere can’t cope with the strain, leading to turbulent patterns similar to eddies in water. In June, five individuals were rushed to a North Carolina hospital for assessment after an American Airlines flight from Miami encountered turbulence en route to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The aircraft landed safely.
Earlier in the same month, violent storms in southern Germany forced a Ryanair flight to execute an emergency landing after severe turbulence injured nine people, according to German police. The flight, carrying 179 passengers and six crew members, was travelling from Berlin to Milan.
Eight passengers and one crew member sustained injuries.
In March, a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Singapore experienced intense turbulence over the Philippines. The plane, with 174 passengers and 14 crew members on board, had five people injured but managed to land safely in Singapore.
Several flights were rerouted to Waco, Texas, on 3rd March due to turbulence. Five people were injured on a United Express plane flying from Springfield, Missouri, to Houston.
Last year, Italian authorities initiated an investigation after two easyJet flight attendants were injured when their flight from Corfu to London’s Gatwick Airport was hit by turbulence. The pilot made an unplanned landing in Rome.
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In May 2024, a 73-year-old British man tragically died and dozens of others were injured on a Singapore Airlines flight that encountered severe turbulence. His death was under investigation, with authorities suggesting he may have suffered a heart attack.
Monitoring turbulence-related injuries across the globe proves challenging. However, some nations do release official statistics. The majority of in-flight turbulence incidents between 2009 and 2018 led to one or more serious injuries whilst leaving aircraft undamaged, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed.
From 2009 to 2024, 207 individuals sustained injuries severe enough during turbulence to warrant hospital stays of at least two days, the NTSB found. Cabin crew made up most casualties, as they’re more prone to being unbuckled during flights.
Pilots attempt to dodge turbulence partly through weather radar systems. Sometimes they can spot and navigate around thunderstorms visually. However, clear-air turbulence “is altogether another animal,” explained Doug Moss, a former airline pilot and safety expert.
It can prove catastrophic, he warned, “because the time before the incident can be very calm, and people are caught off-guard.” Air traffic controllers alert pilots once another aircraft encounters clear-air turbulence, Moss noted.
Many pilots also watch for wind shear indicators, then devise routes to steer clear of such zones, he added. Contemporary aircraft possess sufficient strength to withstand virtually any turbulence.
Cabin sections like overhead compartments might sustain superficial harm, “but these don’t impact the structural integrity of the planes,” Moss explained. Reports of turbulence encounters are escalating, according to some scientists.
A number of researchers have suggested that climate impacts could be one of the potential reasons. Professor Thomas Guinn from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University suggests that climate change could modify the jet stream and increase wind shear, which would in turn escalate turbulence.
Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading, stated there was “strong evidence that turbulence is increasing because of climate change.”
Last year, Williams revealed that his research team found that severe clear-air turbulence in the North Atlantic has surged by 55% since 1979. He warned that if global conditions persist as anticipated, severe turbulence in the jet streams could double or even triple in the forthcoming decades.
Larry Cornman, a project scientist at the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, suggested that an overall increase in air traffic could also contribute to more turbulence encounters as the number of flight paths rise.
In essence, fasten your seat belts. Turbulence can be unpredictable, but experts emphasise that the primary defence is to keep your seat belt secured whenever feasible.
Airlines are also taking safety measures. For instance, Southwest Airlines announced last November that it would conclude cabin service earlier to ensure passengers return to their seats and fasten their seat belts sooner.
The alteration was designed to “reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries,” the carrier explained.
Additionally last year, Korean Air chose to cease serving a popular instant noodle, Shin Ramyun. “This decision is part of proactive safety measures in response to increased turbulence, aimed at preventing burn accidents,” the Seoul-based airline said in a statement.