Key points
- Delta flight hit severe turbulence, 25 hospitalised
- Turbulence injuries rising as global temperatures increase
- Mountains and jet streams cause most severe turbulence
ISLAMABAD: Passengers on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam last week were left shaken after the plane hit severe turbulence.
The violent jolt flung passengers into the ceiling, tossed service trolleys across the cabin, and forced an emergency landing in Minneapolis.
Twenty-five people were hospitalised.
It is part of a worrying trend: turbulence-related injuries and emergency landings are becoming more frequent, and experts say it is likely to get worse as the planet warms, according to CNN.
#climatechangepost: More often, flights will be bumpy due to turbulence increase under climate ⁰change https://t.co/ZYBmQqOPik
Check out this article: https://t.co/FQVJSSCPxz
— ClimateChangePost (@Blueland1) August 8, 2025
Turbulence is caused by disruptions in air flow, much like how a river turns choppy around rocks. Mountains and storms act as obstacles, disturbing the smooth flow of air and creating sudden jolts.
While most turbulence is harmless, extreme cases can cause damage, injuries, or even fatalities — like the 73-year-old who died during a flight from London to Singapore in 2023.
Turbulence-related injuries
Data from the US National Transportation Safety Board shows over 200 serious turbulence-related injuries in the US between 2009 and 2024. Fortunately, fatalities remain rare — and wearing a seatbelt is still the best protection.
However, researchers warn that turbulence is increasing, particularly on high-traffic routes. Turbli, a turbulence forecasting site, analysed over 10,000 global flight paths using data from major weather agencies. The most turbulent route? A short 120-mile flight from Mendoza, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile — a journey over the towering Andes Mountains.
Mountain turbulence dominates the world’s bumpiest routes — whether it is the Rockies in the US, the Alps in Europe, or the Himalayas in Asia.
Mountains disrupt airflow and create powerful waves that can travel hundreds of miles, often invisible to radar.
Clear-air turbulence
But not all turbulence is linked to terrain. Clear-air turbulence, caused by shifts in high-altitude wind speeds near jet streams, is harder to detect. The route between Natori and Tokoname in Japan is among Asia’s roughest because of this. Japan’s strong, stable jet stream — driven by the clash of cold Siberian and warm Pacific air — creates intense turbulence, reports CNN.
Similar conditions exist over the North Atlantic, where the jet stream is fuelled by the meeting of cold Canadian and warm Gulf Stream air. A 2023 study found severe clear-air turbulence over the North Atlantic was 55 per cent more frequent in 2020 than in 1979. Turbulence over the continental US increased by 41 per cent.
By the end of the century, injury-causing turbulence is expected to double or triple globally, according to researchers.
Vertical air movement
Thunderstorms are another turbulence source, especially near the equator, where intense vertical air movement can jolt planes. Though pilots usually navigate around storm clouds using radar, sudden bursts or multiple storms forming at once can still pose danger.
Clear-air turbulence is becoming more frequent and more intense as the atmosphere warms. https://t.co/LEUH3eAecL
— Scientific American (@sciam) May 22, 2024
Scientists believe climate change — by warming the atmosphere and increasing moisture — may also be fuelling more intense thunderstorms and turbulence.
Despite rising risks, experts stress that flying remains extremely safe. Aircraft are built to endure turbulence, and understanding of the phenomenon is improving, with about 75 per cent now accurately forecast.
Still, with climate change altering the skies and air travel booming, passengers should prepare for bumpier journeys ahead.
