A British man died and several passengers were left injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from London dropped suddenly.
Suspended 31,000 feet in the air in essentially a metal tube with wings, it makes sense why turbulence can be downright terrifying.
In most instances, the air disturbance that causes a plane to shudder and bump is unnerving but totally harmless, aside from the odd spilt drink.
While injury and death are extremely rare, they can occur, as a recent incident with Singapore Airlines indicated. The Boeing 777 was flying from London to Singapore when severe turbulence hit.
The aircraft, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, diverted to Bangkok following the turbulence. A 73-year-old British man died, possibly from a heart attack and 20 passengers remain in intensive care for injuries sustained during the flight.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines, flight SQ321 from Heathrow is seen on tarmac after requesting an emergency landing in Bangkok. Photo / AP
Commercial aviation is one of the safest forms of public mass transit in the world, however, those determined to avoid turbulence at all costs could take note of the world’s most turbulent routes.
What flights are the most turbulent?
After analysing 150,000 routes, the turbulence prediction website Turbli used historical data to rank routes according to the highest average turbulence in 2023.
The study used “eddy dissipation rate”, which is defined as the measure of turbulence intensity. An EDR of 0 to 20 is considered light, 20 to 40 is moderate and 40 to 80 is severe. Rates of 80 to 100 are extreme.
Fortunately for Kiwis, none of the top 10 routes include destinations in Oceania. The route with the highest average turbulence was Santiago to Bolivia’s Viru Viru International Airport, with an average EDR of 17.56.
The following routes aren’t those typically flown by vacationers. The route from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan was second, followed by two domestic routes, one in China and another in Japan.
Of the top 10 turbulent routes, locations in China featured eight times.
In Oceania, Australian flights are most likely to be bumpy but only have turbulence ratings of around 13.
The most turbulent Oceania flight is allegedly between Brisbane and Sydney, however, the turbulence is only rated 15.4 and the flight lasts just 90 minutes or so.
Fights between Port Villa in Vanuatu and Auckland are ranked second, followed by another Aussie domestic route, Melbourne to Sydney.
New Zealand only features again in 10th place, as the 744km journey from Auckland to Christchurch has an average turbulence rating of 13.45.
Most turbulent routes in Oceania
Brisbane (BNE) - Sydney (SYD)
Port Vila (VLI) - Auckland (AKL)
Melbourne (MEL) - Sydney (SYD)
Port Vila (VLI) - Brisbane (BNE)
Port Vila (VLI) - Sydney (SYD)
Port Vila (VLI) - Melbourne (MEL)
Brisbane (BNE) - Melbourne (MEL)
Brisbane (BNE) - Adelaide (ADL)
Brisbane (BNE) - Darwin (DRW)
Auckland (AKL) - Christchurch (CHC)
Listening to crew instructions is crucial during turbulence. Photo / iStock
How do you stay safe during turbulence?
There is nothing passengers can do to minimise or avoid turbulence on flights, short of avoiding planes altogether but there are ways to minimise the harm when it occurs.
1. Fasten your seatbelt
There’s a reason why pilots ask all passengers, and occasionally crew, to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts at the first sign of turbulence; it’s the number one way passengers can mitigate risk.
The majority of turbulence-related injuries occur when passengers or crew are not strapped into their seats and are thrown into the ceiling or around the cabin by the force of turbulence.
2. Secure belongings
You may be strapped in tight, but what about your belongings? Your headphones, magazine or bag of pretzels won’t pose much risk, but a laptop, metal water bottle or other large items can hurt if flung across the cabin during severe turbulence, so try to secure large or heavy belongings without leaving your seat.
3. Avoid the galley
If you’re standing or walking around the cabin when severe turbulence hits, get away from the galley and to the nearest seat as quickly as possible. Aviation experts recommend avoiding the galley during turbulence as meal service equipment such as metal carts or coffee pots may not be secured and can cause severe injury.
