10 Flight Routes with the Worst Turbulence in the World

JAKARTA – For most passengers, turbulence is the worst experience of flying. It turns out that there are 10 flight routes that are confirmed to have the worst turbulence intensity in the world.

Turbulence or severe shaking occurs due to sudden changes in the plane’s altitude during flight. Generally, it arises from friction between air currents of different speeds resulting from changes in atmospheric pressure, shifting weather fronts, unpredictable winds in mountainous areas, and storms.

Pilots and airlines try to avoid turbulence. In most cases, pilots can anticipate risks and warn passengers by flashing the fasten seat belt sign.

According to data, the number of flights affected by severe turbulence is one in 50,000. Conditions caused by global warming mean it is also expected to cause more turbulence. According to data collected over the past 16 years by the Federal Aviation Administration, the average injury rate related to severe turbulence in the United States is 33 per year.

Data from the Turbli website predicts turbulence will occur on around 150,000 routes and there will be the most dangerous routes in 2023.

The 2,575 kilometer journey between Santiago and Viru Viru International Airport in Bolivia was among the most affected by turbulence. The second route with the highest turbulence occurs between Almaty in Kazakhstan and Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Six of the turbulence-related hazardous journeys involved domestic routes in Japan and China (four routes involved takeoffs and landings in Lanzhou, Chengdu, or Xianyang) and two European routes. The Milan – Geneva route was most affected by the worst turbulence in Europe, while Milan – Zurich was ranked 10th.

In particular, The Independent released a list of the 10 most dangerous routes in the world with the worst turbulence, Wednesday (29/5/2024).

1. Santiago (Chili) – Santa Cruz (Bolivia)