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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Many people dread air travel for obvious reasons, including the spine-chilling turbulence. While the natural phenomenon is usually short-lived, some turbulence cases have caused structural damage to the long-haul carriers.
In the aviation accidents discussion, these most turbulent flight routes receive weighing scrutiny from passengers. If you are a regular aviation rider, here are some of the most turbulent flight routes in the world, divided into continents as taken from Turbli, a turbulence forecasting site.
What Causes a Turbulence?
Turbulence happens when rough air around the aircraft disturbs the carrier’s calmer state. According to National Geographic, turbulence has three common causes: jet streams, storms, and mountains.
By nature, the air is forming waves once it comes into contact with mountains. Under certain circumstances, these airwaves can break into what we know is turbulence during air travel.
With jet streams, turbulence occurred by differences in wind velocities as an aircraft traversed from regions of maximum wind speeds.
The Most Turbulent Flight Routes in the World
In their latest coverage, Turbli analyzed numerous long-haul and short-haul flight records in 2024 using eddy dissipation rates (EDR) in determining the shock rating of each route, with levels of light (0-20), moderate (20-40), severe (40-80), and extreme (80-100). Below are the most turbulent flight routes in the world according to the data:
1. Mendoza (MDZ) - Santiago (SCL) - 196 km - 24.684 EDR
2. Cordoba (COR) - Santiago (SCL) - 660 km - 20.214 EDR
3. Mendoza (MDZ) - Salta (SLA) - 940 km - 19.825 EDR
4. Mendoza (MDZ) - San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC) - 946 km - 19.252 EDR
5. Kathmandu (KTM) - Lhasa (LXA) - 571 km - 18.817 EDR
6. Chengdu (CTU) - Lhasa (LXA) - 1265 km - 18.644 EDR
7. Santa Cruz (VVI) - Santiago (SCL) - 1905 km - 18.598 EDR
8. Kathmandu (KTM) - Paro (PBH) - 402 km - 18.563 EDR
9. Chengdu (CTU) - Xining (XNN) - 685 km - 18.482 EDR
10. San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC) - Santiago (SCL) - 861 km - 18.475 EDR
The most turbulent flight routes in the United States include:
1. Mendoza (MDZ) - Santiago (SCL) - 196 km - 24.684 EDR
2. Cordoba (COR) - Santiago (SCL) - 660 km - 20.214 EDR
3. Mendoza (MDZ) - Salta (SLA) - 940 km - 19.825 EDR
4. Mendoza (MDZ) - San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC) - 946 km - 19.252 EDR
5. Santa Cruz (VVI) - Santiago (SCL) - 1905 km - 18.598 EDR
6. San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC) - Santiago (SCL) - 861 km - 18.475 EDR
7. Cordoba (COR) - Mendoza (MDZ) - 464 km - 17.889 EDR
8. Albuquerque (ABQ) - Denver (DEN) - 561 km - 17.751 EDR
9. Denver (DEN) - Jackson (JAC) - 653 km - 17.454 EDR
10. Jackson (JAC) - Salt Lake City (SLC) - 329 km - 17.419 EDR
The most turbulent flight routes in Europe are:
1. Nice (NCE) - Geneva (GVA) - 299 km - 16.055 EDR
2. Nice (NCE) - Zurich (ZRH) - 434 km - 15.493 EDR
3. Milan (MXP) - Zurich (ZRH) - 203 km - 15.410 EDR
4. Ferno (MXP) - Lyon (LYS) - 283 km - 15.374 EDR
5. Nice (NCE) - Basel (BSL) - 438 km - 15.325 EDR
6. Geneva (GVA) - Zurich (ZRH) - 230 km - 15.053 EDR
7. Alpes-Maritimes (NCE) - Lyon (LYS) - 284 km - 14.987 EDR
8. Geneva (GVA) - Venezia (VCE) - 491 km - 14.775 EDR
9. Lyon (MRS) - Zurich (ZRH) - 517 km - 14.743 EDR
10. Venezia (VCE) - Zurich (ZRH) - 363 km - 14.669 EDR
The most turbulent flight routes in Asia mention:
1. Kathmandu (KTM) - Lhasa (LXA) - 571 km - 18.817 EDR
2. Chengdu (CTU) - Lhasa (LXA) - 1265 km - 18.644 EDR
3. Kathmandu (KTM) - Paro (PBH) - 402 km - 18.563 EDR
4. Chengdu (CTU) - Xining (XNN) - 685 km - 18.482 EDR
5. Guiyang (KWE) - Lhasa (LXA) - 1592 km - 17.968 EDR
6. Natori (SDJ) - Tokoname (NGO) - 517 km - 17.927 EDR
7. Kunming (KMG) - Lhasa (LXA) - 1277 km - 17.739 EDR
8. Natori (SDJ) - Osaka (KIX) - 655 km - 17.674 EDR
9. Chongqing (CKG) - Lhasa (LXA) - 1525 km - 17.699 EDR
Whether you're a frequent flyer or an occasional traveler, staying informed about the most turbulent flight routes can set expectations and ease travel anxiety. For more of the latest aviation news, check out Skytrax’s best airports in the world here.
TURBLI | TRAVEL AND LEISURE | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
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