What is turbulence and why is it getting worse?


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About 11 hours after take-off in London, a Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence on Tuesday, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. One passenger died and dozens were injured during the incident.

Last year, a Delta Air Lines flight from Milan was about 64km away from its destination in Atlanta when it hit severe turbulence. Although the Airbus 350 plane landed safely, 11 people were taken to hospital.

A few days earlier, passengers on a flight over Mallorca in Spain were videoed screaming amid strong winds and storms.

These incidents follow others this year during which severe turbulence has caused injuries.

It also comes after the release of a report that found bumpier flights are more common than ever before, with clear-air turbulence intensifying significantly worldwide in the past four decades.

“We’ve only been tracking turbulence since the 1970s,” Vance Hilderman, chief executive of aviation and safety-critical services company Afuzion, tells The National.

“We know that temperatures generally declined in the century prior to that as part of normal global fluctuations. However, in the past 50 years, some temperatures have increased and assessed turbulence has correspondingly increased as expected.”

What is turbulence?

Severe turbulence can be caused by extreme weather events, such as thunderstorms. Getty Images
Severe turbulence can be caused by extreme weather events, such as thunderstorms. Getty Images

“Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights and can vary from light to severe intensity,” explains Captain Michael Schreiber, chief of pilot technical operations at Emirates Airline.

It refers to the irregular and often abrupt changes in the airflow that an aircraft experiences while flying through the atmosphere, he adds. “If happening, it normally results in sudden, erratic movements or vibrations of the aircraft.”

There are various reasons why this might happen, he says. There’s clear-air turbulence, which occurs at high altitudes in otherwise clear skies and is often associated with the jet stream – fast-flowing air currents that move from west to east in the upper atmosphere.

Then there’s convective turbulence, which comes from vertical air movement due to heating from the Earth’s surface, often associated with clouds and thunderstorms.

Mechanical turbulence happens when air encounters obstacles such as mountains or buildings; while wake turbulence is generated by aircraft vortices – circular patterns of rotating air left behind a wing as it generates lift – or jetwash, which are gases expelled from the engine.

Which areas of the world are most turbulent?

“Remember, turbulence is caused by temperature differences and changes. The higher the altitude, the thinner and colder the air, and thus less turbulence. A cooling evening in an Arizona summer has maximum turbulence,” Mr Hilderman says.

Mr Schreiber also says certain parts of the world and times of year are more prone to turbulent skies due to meteorological factors.

“During the hot summer, for example, you may notice that during departure, approach and landing, the air you travel through is generally rougher than during the cooler winter season. This is caused by the air masses heated up by the hot surfaces and rising vertically.”

What do pilots do to mitigate its effects?

Pilots are trained around turbulence avoidance and management. Getty Images
Pilots are trained around turbulence avoidance and management. Getty Images

“Like ocean waves, ship captains can mitigate ocean wave effects via manoeuvring, but cannot avoid waves,” says Mr Hilderman. “Aircraft can try to fly around turbulence, but turbulence is dynamically moving and changing and not readily detected.”

Mr Schreiber, however, says Emirates is investing heavily in new technologies to make these predictions more accurate. The airline’s pilots also receive training on how to deal with it.

“Practical training around turbulence avoidance and management is conducted in the flight simulator,” he says. “Pilots are instructed how to navigate around areas of turbulence and how to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew in cases where turbulence is encountered in-flight.

“Improved technology, such as better weather prediction tools, support the pilots in making good decisions, avoiding areas of rough air while in-flight.”

When possible, Emirates flights will be routed around areas of forecasted turbulence and avoid various weather phenomena to try to ensure smooth flying.

But, Mr Hilderman says, no matter what, “aircraft will always fly in turbulence”.

How does turbulence affect aircraft?

“The larger the aircraft, the less effect from turbulence – just like small versus large boats upon ocean waves,” says Mr Hilderman. “Turbulence literally moves an aircraft within the air away from its intended stable path and also affects flight control surfaces, such as the wings, aileron, lift and rudder.”

Mr Schreiber says the most significant ways turbulence affects a flight are when it comes to passenger comfort and safety, crew workload, flight delays and reroutes, and aircraft stability.

“It is important to note that turbulence in general is not a safety threat to modern aircraft,” he says.

Mr Hilderman echoes this. “Aircraft are designed to be safer than any expected turbulence, with a wide margin for worst-case turbulence.”

How does it affect passengers?

Experts advise passengers keep their seat belts on at all times in case of unexpected turbulence. iStockphoto
Experts advise passengers keep their seat belts on at all times in case of unexpected turbulence. iStockphoto

While the safety of modern, commercial aircraft is not in question, there is a threat to passengers on-board. “Unbelted passengers could die in extreme turbulence,” Mr Hilderman says.

Mr Schreiber says passengers must keep their seat belts fastened, not just during instability, but at all times, as not all turbulence can be predicted. “Passengers who are not wearing their seat belts and are not properly secured are potentially at risk of injury,” he says.

The other way travellers may be affected is via flight path changes. “In severe cases, flights need to be delayed or rerouted to avoid forecasted areas of turbulence,” says Mr Schreiber.

How can passengers deal with bumpy flights?

Both Mr Hilderman and Mr Schreiber warn that some turbulence is unpredictable and that passengers should wear a seat belt.

“Never leave your seat if you feel turbulence and return to your seat if it begins,” says Mr Hilderman. “Store loose belongings and sharp objects. In extreme turbulence, push your head back against the headrest firmly to avoid neck whiplash.”

He also advises parents to hold infants firmly and place them in a belted carrier or, if possible, buy them a seat instead of holding them on their lap.

You also might want to avoid hot beverages, Mr Schreiber adds, as they can splash or spill, resulting in potential burns.

Most importantly, he says, stay calm. “Remember, turbulence might disturb your in-flight experience, but it is not harmful to modern aircraft.”

Is turbulence anything to be scared of?

No, says Mr Schreiber. Rather, it’s something passengers should be prepared for and informed about, he adds. “Almost every flight encounters turbulence at one stage during a flight”,

Mr Hilderman says: “Even trained pilots and passengers with three million flight miles and 20,000 hours in the air occasionally have white knuckles and use the sick bag.”

But aircraft are continually improving their designs, he adds. “So today’s aircraft in greater turbulence are still safer than prior aircraft in less turbulence.”

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.

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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

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2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

Updated: May 22, 2024, 5:34 AM