Emirates has joined an International Air Transport Association turbulence detection project.
Crew aboard Emirates flight EK449 from Auckland to Dubai say the seat belt message is getting through.
The Airbus A380′s premium onboard lounge is fitted with seat belts and following high-profile turbulence incidents on other airlines, more passengers are buckling up, flight attendants said at the weekend.
Signs advising passengers to sit with seat belts on are displayed more frequently.
At the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) annual gathering, held in Dubai this week, turbulence was a hot topic.
The association’s director general Willie Walsh is a former pilot and airline executive and said more members were sharing data on the incidence and threat of turbulence
The meeting comes after dozens of people were injured in a terrifying 54m drop aboard a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Changi. One man died of a suspected heart attack.
Those injured, including crew on duty, weren’t buckled in. A few days later some passengers were injured on Qatar Airways flight over Turkey.
Aboard EK449 to Dubai, a flight attendant said in light turbulence the crew would continue to serve meals but when the flight deck warns of more severe bumps (which can be predicted) the crew will pause service.
The attendant also said she’d also noticed more passengers putting seat belts on in the bar, even when it is smooth flying.
One traveller, Richard, said he’d always belted up when seated but the Singapore Airlines incident, followed by another on a Qatar Airways plane over Turkey, had sharpened his focus.
“It doesn’t worry me, it just makes me want to wear my seat belt even more,” said Richard. He flies between Britain and New Zealand twice a year.
Another passenger, Brendon, is more relaxed.
His “second home” is the Emirates A380 between Auckland and Europe, making frequent trips every year. He had a first class suite and was back in the lounge socialising with other premium passengers.
“When the door shuts on the airplane - I either land or I don’t.”
He’s done the ultra-long flight for years and reckons the skies have got a bit bumpier, something scientists are also saying.
“The thing that gets me is that a plane can fall to bits on the inside but stay intact.”
At the IATA meeting, Walsh said its Turbulence Aware platform was growing, with Emirates the latest airline to join up, the 21st to do so.
Started before the pandemic, it is a global, real-time detailed and objective information resource for pilots and others in airlines to manage and mitigate the impact of turbulence on operations.
The platform pools anonymised turbulence data from thousands of flights operated around the world and AI will help expand the power of the programme.
The information generated from this data enables pilots and dispatchers to choose optimal flight paths, avoiding turbulence and flying at peak levels and altitudes to maximise fuel efficiency, ultimately reducing carbon emissions. To date, Turbulence Aware has covered 700 million passengers.
IATA’s Walsh said turbulence is not a new issue but how it’s measured has changed.
“When I started flying 45 years ago, when you experienced turbulence what you tended to do was make a report to air traffic control.”
Pilots would grade it as light, moderate or severe and then air traffic control would pass that information on to other aircraft in the location - if they had the opportunity, he said at a media briefing.
“It was your perception of the turbulence. The way we’re doing it now is this is measuring the change in acceleration, the G force that the aircraft experiences.”
This was much more accurate.
“This new system that we have measures data on a real-time basis and links that data to other aircraft who are connected to the system,” said Walsh.
“Obviously, we will continue to assess the recent events to understand them better and see if there’s anything else that can be done.”
The association’s vice president, operations, safety and security, Nick Careen, said injuries as a result of turbulence were extremely rare.
But following incidents last month, more airlines had inquired about joining Turbulence Aware and anecdotal reports suggest more passengers are keeping their seat belts on.
Emirates has equipped more than 140 aircraft with the required onboard software to automatically share turbulence reports with all airlines contributing data to the platform.
Captain Hassan Alhammadi, divisional senior vice president, flight operations said it would help build sophisticated industry knowledge.
“This is only the beginning, and we are progressing with plans to integrate more cutting-edge technologies to elevate the flying experience even further, so our customers can enjoy smoother journeys.”
So far there had been no impact on demand at the airline but it was keen to educate its passengers, Emirates’ chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim told the Herald.
“We are trying to mitigate it through [encouraging] seat belts on all the time when passengers fly but overall it’s not holding people back from travel. We’re seeing demand is carrying on as normal.”
At Cathay Pacific, formal advice to passengers hasn’t changed, chairman Patrick Healy told the Herald.
“But it is something which everyone is absolutely focused on at the moment. What you’ll hear on Cathay flights is a renewed emphasis on that,” he said.
“We’ve always been very strong on that in terms of reminders both, from the captain as well as from the in-flight service and manager and from the crew so we’ll just continue to emphasise how important it is to remain buckled up at all times.’’
Air New Zealand says its pilots are trained for all scenarios, including turbulence.
“Our teams are constantly monitoring weather patterns on the flight path and will make adjustments to ensure the safest and smoothest flight possible for customers,” said head of airline operations Captain Hugh Pearce.
Operating procedures outline onboard responses to different levels of turbulence, including detailing when passengers and crew are required to take their seats during the flight, which can include during turbulence. If turbulence becomes significant, the captain will advise our crew to take their seats and suspend service onboard until it is safe to resume.
“From time to time, clear air turbulence can occur where rough air is not visible to the flight crew, however, our weather forecasting does help to forewarn where these areas may occur.”
The approach had been in place for some time. “We haven’t made any direct changes to our operating procedures as a result of recent events, however, we’re always reviewing our policies in line with both regulation and international best practice to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew is prioritised.”
E tū union’s aviation team leader, Scott Mackie, says crew are well trained and have procedures around turbulence events, however, these may need to be adjusted or reviewed now that the full effects of climate change are being felt.
There is an increased risk to crew safety during turbulent events as often they are out of their jump seats and working within the cabin or galley. Areas where crew are often working, such as in the rear galley, can have higher levels of impact from turbulence.
“After severe turbulence, crew and passenger safety and wellbeing, and treating any injuries, are the top priorities. Ensuring that there are safe crew levels onboard aircraft and robust procedures is vital,” said Mackie.
Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.
The Herald travelled to Dubai courtesy of IATA
The airline sold its last slots at Heathrow in 2020.