Overview

• Turbli’s analysis of over 10,000 flight paths using NOAA and UK Met Office data ranks the Mendoza–Santiago Andes corridor as the world’s bumpiest route and highlights hotspots over the Rockies, Alps, Himalayas and Japan’s jet stream
• Severe clear-air turbulence has increased by 55% over the North Atlantic and by 41% across the continental US since 1979, driven by climate-amplified wind shear in jet-stream regions
• Airlines and meteorological agencies now predict about 75% of turbulence events by deploying improved forecasting models and real-time data sharing, though unexpected bursts still pose hazards
• Turbulence caused more than 200 serious injuries in the US between 2009 and 2024, and one fatal heart attack on a London–Singapore flight last year underscores the rare but persistent fatal risk
• Researchers project that injury-level turbulence could double or even triple globally by 2100 if upper-atmosphere temperatures continue to rise