Following severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight this week, let’s explore what turbulence is and its risks to passengers.

The recent incident on Singapore Airlines flight 321 has garnered significant attention, and it’s understandable if you’re concerned about turbulence. To provide clarity, we consulted John Walton, Lonely Planet’s resident aviation journalist, to explain what turbulence is, its frequency, and how passengers can stay safe.

The images and videos from flight 321, which made an emergency landing in Bangkok after encountering severe turbulence, are indeed alarming. The tragic news of a passenger’s death and multiple injuries has heightened concerns.

The increased visibility of such events can be attributed to the ubiquity of smartphones, allowing instant sharing of photos and videos. However, experts also agree that climate change is contributing to the rise in severe turbulence incidents. Let’s delve deeper into this issue.

What is turbulence, and why does it happen?

Turbulence can manifest in various forms when you’re on a plane. You’ll often experience its mildest form as your plane passes through clouds during ascent or descent at relatively low altitudes.

At higher altitudes, clear air turbulence is a common concern. This type of turbulence occurs when temperature variations between air layers create strong upward or downward air currents. These can originate from jet streams (high-level air currents found worldwide), high terrain pushing air upwards, or storms, particularly thunderstorms.

Turbulence feels like shaking on the plane, and in severe cases, it can result in extreme movements, such as those experienced on Singapore Airlines flight 321. It’s important to note that, despite the severe turbulence, the plane landed safely, showcasing the aircraft’s resilience even in such conditions.

Initial evidence suggests that the turbulence encountered by Singapore Airlines was due to fast-forming thunderstorms, with an unusually rapid convective cell forming over Southeast Asia.

While planes can navigate around slowly forming storms, swiftly developing ones are incredibly challenging to predict.

Is it worse on some planes versus others?

To some extent, the size of the plane can influence how turbulence is experienced. In theory, larger planes tend to feel the effects of turbulence less than smaller planes in the same conditions. However, it’s worth noting that Singapore Airlines flight 321, which encountered severe turbulence, was a large Boeing 777 — one of the biggest planes currently in service.

So, while a smaller narrowbody plane like a 737 might experience more pronounced effects from turbulence compared to a larger widebody plane like a 777, severe turbulence will still be intense regardless of the aircraft size.

Can I sit somewhere on the plane to avoid turbulence?

It might sound odd, but planes are designed to be somewhat flexible. You can expect the wingtips to wiggle during turbulence, and the plane’s fuselage to flex slightly as well. Sitting closer to the wings generally means you’ll feel less of the turbulence and its effects.

However, in cases of severe turbulence like the recent incident, you’ll feel it strongly no matter where you’re seated.

Is turbulence common and are some parts of the world more susceptible to it?

Light turbulence is completely routine; you’ll feel a slight bump when flying through clouds. Severe turbulence is much rarer, though experts expect it to become more common due to climate change, which causes greater temperature extremes and stronger, more unpredictable storms.

Certain regions regularly experience medium to severe turbulence. This includes areas with significant temperature variations, flights over high mountain ranges like the Rockies, Andes, or Himalayas, zones with fast-forming storms, and regions with strong winds, such as the “Roaring Forties” westerlies in the southern hemisphere.

How can I stay safe on a flight if it hits turbulence?

The best advice is to keep your seatbelt snugly fastened throughout the flight. By snugly, I mean tight enough that if there were a sudden drop due to turbulence, you wouldn’t hit the ceiling or fly out of your seat.

You might hear advice to keep your belt “loosely fastened,” but if it’s too loose, you risk sliding out of it in severe turbulence.

As a guide, keep your belt as tight as a car seatbelt whenever you’re in your seat. If you’re traveling with babies or infants without their own seat, ensure they’re secured in your lap or a bassinet crib if available.

If you’re in the lavatory, sit down immediately (if you’re not already), hold onto the grab bars, and follow crew instructions. If you’re at one of the inflight bars on certain airlines, use the seatbelts provided and buckle yourself in immediately. The crew will inform you when it’s safe to return to your seat.

If you’re walking in the aisle, sit down in the nearest empty seat rather than walking all the way to yours if it’s further away.

Overall, rest assured: turbulence is routine, flights are routed around it, airplanes are designed to cope with it, weather prediction is continually improving, and severe turbulence is still rare.