Researchers believe turbulence will only gain pace alongside global warming
In a pleasing case of nominative determinism, British Airways’ Flying with Confidence director, captain Steve Allright, once reassured me: “Remember that turbulence is uncomfortable but rarely dangerous. It is a perfectly normal part of flying caused by nature.” And he’s right: out of the circa-400 million flights that took place between 2009 and 2022, there were – according to data from the US Federal Aviation Administration – 34 passengers and 129 crew members recorded as seriously injured due to turbulence. The last fatality caused by turbulence on a commercial flight was in 1997, during United Airlines’ Flight 826 from Tokyo to Honolulu. That was, until the spring of 2024.
On May 21, severe turbulence on Singapore Airlines’ flight SQ321 saw the death…
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Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition (Digital) - 1 Issue, September - October 2024