These are the world’s most turbulent flight routes

Kristina Beanland and Lizzie Thomson

Published May 22, 2024 10:13am Updated May 22, 2024 10:15am

Airplane in sky — Flight SQ321 was diverted to Bangkok after the terrifying incident (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Flight SQ321 from London to Singapore had been relatively uneventful – but 10 hours into the journey, the plane hit extreme turbulence, which passengers have described as ‘terrifying.’

The Singapore Airlines plane dropped 7,000ft in just six minutes. Anyone not wearing a seatbelt was catapulted out of their seats.

At least 71 passengers have been injured, with seven in a critical condition. Tragically, British grandfather, Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, 73, died during the incident.

According to Thai authorities, the grandfather had a heart condition, and likely suffered a heart attack.

For anyone who is scared of flying, the shocking news will only add to their fears.

It’s important to note thought that devastating incidences such as this are rare. According to the National Weather Service, turbulence is the ‘irregular motion of the air resulting from eddies and vertical currents.’ In many cases, turbulence is light, causing just a few bumps.

In all, around 65,000 flights encounter moderate turbulence every year, and about 5,500 encounter severe turbulence, according to the National Centre for Atmospheric Research.

Passengers are sitting and sleeping on an airplane. — Extreme cases of turbulence are rare (Picture: Getty)

Turbulence prediction website Turbli examined 150,000 routes to find the most turbulent journeys of last year.

The results show those looking for smooth flights might want to avoid South American travel – especially going from Santiago, Chile, to Viru Viru International airport in Bolivia, as this 1,180-mile journey ranked as the most turbulent.

The route from Almaty, in Kazakhstan, and the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, came second.

Overall, six of the most turbulent journeys were domestic routes in Japan and China – but two routes closer to home, in Europe, were also featured.

Top 10 most turbulent journeys in the world in full, according to Turbli data:

1. Santiago (SCL) – Santa Cruz (VVI)

2. Almaty (ALA) – Bishkek (FRU)

3. Lanzhou (LHW) – Chengdu (CTU)

4. Centrair (NGO) – Sendai (SDJ)

5. Milan (MXP) – Geneva (GVA)

6. Lanzhou (LHW) – Xianyang (XIY)

7. Osaka (KIX) – Sendai (SDJ)

8. Xianyang (XIY) – Chengdu (CTU)

9. Xianyang (XIY) – Chongqing (CKG)

10. Milan (MXP) – Zurich (ZRH)

Milan to Geneva scooped fifth position in the rankings, alongside Milan to Zurich in tenth place.

This is because, as Turbli founder Ignacio Gallego Marcos explains, routes over the Andes or Alps ‘appear high in the ranking due to mountain wave turbulence over the Andes and Alps.’