By Sharon Petersen
Published Tue Feb 13, 2024
The latest rankings of the most turbulent airline routes and airports worldwide have been unveiled!
Turbli, an esteemed turbulence forecasting firm, meticulously analyzed data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UK Met Office to unveil the most turbulent air routes and airports globally.
For two consecutive years, the title of the most turbulent flight belongs to the route between Santiago, Chile, and Santa Cruz, Bolivia, traversing the formidable Andes Mountains.
A recurring pattern among turbulent routes involves traversing mountain ranges and airports located near bodies of water. Turbli diligently examined turbulence patterns daily at 1 a.m. and 1 p.m., averaging turbulence levels at the standard cruising altitude throughout the year.
The country with the strongest turbulence was Bhutan followed by Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. The United Aab Emirates came in at number 32, Australia number 64 and the United States at number 68. For the full country list click here.
In the 'over ocean' rankings, the north Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans had the highest turbulence ranking.
Turbulence was assessed using the eddy dissipation rate (EDR) or turbulence intensity, irrespective of aircraft size. Notably, smaller aircraft experience turbulence differently from jumbo jets, with a smaller plane being affected more profoundly even at lower rates of turbulence.
Here's a breakdown of turbulence levels:
- Light: 0-20 EDR
- Moderate: 20-40 EDR
- Severe: 40-80 EDR
- Extreme: 80-100 EDR
Turbli scrutinized the turbulence data of the 150,000 most frequently traveled air routes. Remarkably, the yearly average turbulence levels were classified as "light" turbulence across the board by Turbli.
Here are the top 10 airports globally for Turbulence
| 1 | Santiago, Chile | 17.137 EDR |
| 2 | Natori, Japan | 16.657 EDR |
| 3 | Wellington, New Zealand | 16.318 EDR |
| 4 | Sapporo, Japan | 16.305 EDR |
| 5 | Osaka, Japan | 16.12 EDR |
| 6 | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan | 15.993 EDR |
| 7 | Tokoname, Japan | 15.885 EDR |
| 8 | Lanzhou, China | 15.8 EDR |
| 9 | Tokyo, Japan | 15.545 EDR |
| 10 | Christchurch, New Zealand | 15.482 EDR |
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