How excessive turbulence can convey horror to holidaymakers in a second

Extreme turbulence on planes can leave flights to sunny destinations ending in chaos and carnage, but fortunately, pilots and cabin crew say we’re safer than we think.

Horror footage captured by terrified travellers caught in unstable skies and later shared online often shows just how uncertain the moments can be for panicked passengers.

From having their noses broken to being thrown out of their seat, getting splattered by loose food and drink, or simply suffering the distress of extreme turbulence, some passengers have had truly horrifying experiences.

But although turbulence is simply the result of changes in the distribution of air currents and pressure around the plane – and poses no major risk to safety – remaining calm in a cylindrical tube at 40,000ft in the air is easier said than done. 

MailOnline has looked at just how turbulence affects your flights and how to handle the situation like a pro if you find yourself on a bumpy sky ride.

What is turbulence?

Pilots have revealed there are three different types of turbulence you can experience during a flight.

One, Joey Miuccio, 28, from Florida, revealed on social media that that light, moderate, and severe turbulence can impact you in various ways, however, he reassured you are safe during every level.

The pilot noted that travellers constantly asked him if turbulence was ‘that dangerous.’ He then shared the three different types of turbulence.

‘The three most common levels of turbulence are light, moderate, and severe,’ he said.

‘Severe is very, very rare but it does happen,’ he said. Joey goes on to explain the different levels by using a coffee cup analogy.

He said that if you were trying to drink a cup of coffee during light turbulence, the coffee may move around the cup, but you would have no problem sipping it.

During moderate turbulence, it would become hard to drink the beverage and the coffee would start splashing around a bit.

‘And then severe, that coffee is probably all over your shirt and it’s gone. The coffee cup’s probably gone and severe is pretty gnarly but you’re very safe if you’re in your seat with your seatbelt fastened,’ Joey explained.

He noted that staying in your seat with your seatbelt on was ‘key.’

‘The aircraft is so durable and strong and flexible. It goes through all these stress tests and it can handle a lot of stress and a lot of turbulence,’ the pilot reassured.

‘As long as you are seated with your seatbelt fastened, you are safe, the aircraft is safe.’

A flight from Madrid to Buenos Aires in October 2022 was plunged into chaos when it hit severe turbulence and threw screaming passengers around the cabin, leaving one girl breaking her nose on the ceiling.

Aerolíneas Argentinas said that at the time of the turbulence, seat belt signs were on and an announcement had been made.

But some passengers fumbling for seatbelts or those who were unbuckled at the time ended up hitting the ceiling.

Trolleys and bags hurtled through the cabin as hand luggage compartments opened up, leaving bags and cases dropping onto the heads of passengers at speed.

At least 12 people were injured and three of them were later hospitalised with severe injuries, including one girl who was pictured with bandages wrapped around her bloody nose after it was broken.

The flight landed in Buenos Aires four-and-a-half hours after the turbulence, and the passengers who had suffered injuries were dashed to hospital.

Passenger Adrian Torres told newspaper El Pais: ‘We had flown about seven hours and almost all of us slept, because at that time it was almost three in Spain.

‘The plane started to move a lot and I said to my colleagues, “how much turbulence, buckle up”.

‘As I fumbled for my seat belt, the plane encountered severe turbulence.’

He said the plane then suddenly dropped metres and they shot towards the ceiling in the scary scenes. 

Is severe turbulence on the rise?

According to research from last year carried out by the University of Reading, rising temperatures and changes to the jet stream have dramatically increased the amount of turbulence in the sky.

Severe turbulence increased 55 per cent between 1979 and 2020 and is expected to get more intense, more frequent and last longer in future.

Global warming causes disturbances to the jet stream – the narrow current of fast-moving air that planes fly along to get a speed boost.

More and more, airplane passengers are capturing terrifying footage of extreme turbulence on their smartphones, sending air stewards and hot drinks flying.

In rare cases, turbulence can even be fatal, as demonstrated on Tuesday when it caused the death of a passenger flying from London to Singapore.

Tens of thousands of planes encounter severe turbulence every year, with an estimated cost to the global aviation sector of up to £826million from costs of injuries, structural damage to aircraft and flight delays. 

The new study was conducted by researchers at the University of Reading and published today in Geophysical Research Letters.

‘Following a decade of research showing that climate change will increase clear-air turbulence in the future, we now have evidence suggesting that the increase has already begun,’ said study author Professor Paul Williams.

‘We should be investing in improved turbulence forecasting and detection systems, to prevent the rougher air from translating into bumpier flights in the coming decades.’

Some aircraft turbulence occurs in well-defined locations, such as over mountain ranges or within the vicinity of convective storms, and is largely avoidable.

At a typical point over the North Atlantic – one of the world’s busiest flight routes – the total annual duration of severe turbulence increased by 55 per cent from 17.7 hours in 1979 to 27.4 hours in 2020, the research found.

Moderate turbulence increased by 37 per cent from 70.0 to 96.1 hours, and light turbulence increased by 17 per cent from 466.5 to 546.8 hours.

While the US and North Atlantic have experienced the largest increases, the experts found that other busy flight routes over Europe, the Middle East, and the South Atlantic also saw significant increases in turbulence.

What are the worst routes?

The skies over the Atlantic are getting wilder as the jet stream moves, most likely due to climate change. 

So key holiday routes to America, Canada and the Caribbean could become bumpier.

In Europe, flights going over the Alps can be rocky with routes to Switzerland and Austria seeing the most turbulence.

Long-haul routes including London to Johannesburg and Durban can be bumpy, while the skies over Japan are notoriously lumpy. 

Fly to Australia and you may be turbulence-free all the way Down Under — but expect to hit bumps on the last legs to Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne.

What are the smoothest routes?

It’s rare for short-haul flights to Europe to suffer more than a short stretch of light turbulence. Meteorologists inform pilots in advance of bad weather, allowing planes to re-route and avoid the worst.

Passengers can get their own predictions on websites such as turbli.com. 

It scans the skies up to 36 hours ahead of flights, looks for thunderstorm forecasts, predicts whether take-offs and landings will be smooth and if turbulence will be light, moderate or strong.

Tricky airports

Pilots say landing anywhere near the equator can be tricky, as wind speeds change fast and storms break suddenly.

Holiday airports including Miami, Orlando and Cancun can be bumpy along with Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

A group of passengers in 2017 had to endure a truly horrific flight from Moscow to Bangkok where some described being ‘hurled’ to the ceiling.

Several passengers aboard the Aeroflot flight from Russia to Thailand suffered broken bones, and three needed surgery, Russian officials said at the time. Two passengers required surgery for leg fractures and another needed surgery for broken ribs.

A total of 24 other passengers were also injured, including 14 adults and a child who were taken to hospital.

Footage only revealed the aftermath of the horror flight, but passengers described the worst of the shake where they had to cling on and pray for the devastating turbulence to stop.

The airline said the turbulence occurred in clear skies, meaning the pilots were not able to warn passengers. Those who were injured did not have their seatbelts on, the airline added.

The plane carrying 313 passengers had been due to land 40 minutes after the turbulence kicked in.

A video after the plane had smoothed out showed the true horror of the journey.

One man was seen lying stricken across the ground receiving medical attention surrounded by items like cups, trays and bags which had all fallen loose.

The back of the plane is also seen where stewards store food and drink. Crockery and cups appear to be spilt across the ground. The drinks cart is also seen tipped over.

Strong winds also mean Madeira airport is tricky for pilots, with planes often diverting to nearby Porto Santo island until the weather improves.

Gibraltar airport can get pulses racing (the sea looms at each end of the runway and pilots have to slam on the brakes fast) while high winds can rock planes near the Canary Islands.

The final approach to Athens airport is also notorious for bumpy skies.

Best places to sit to avoid turbulence

To avoid being tossed around a plane, pilots have given their expert opinions on where to sit on the aircraft to avoid the nuisance of turbulence. 

Joey Miuccio said on social media: ‘I’ll tell you what, you definitely don’t want to sit at the back. The back is the worst spot.’

The expert pilot then referenced the ‘pen trick’ before demonstrating it himself as he bounced it around between his thumb and index finger.

He explained of an airplane: ‘Usually the center of gravity is a little bit forward so it’s not as bad in the front and around the wings.

‘You can see that the back of the plane is getting freaking rocked. The front’s not so bad.’

Joey continued: ‘The whole plane is getting bounced around but it is worse further from the center of gravity.

‘So [sit] more towards the wings – maybe a little bit in front of the wings. That is my tip of the day. But definitely don’t sit in the back.’

But footage filmed by passengers sitting in the middle of a plane on a flight from Shanghai to Beijing that encountered terrifying turbulence found themselves ‘tossed into the air’.

Footage of the AirChina flight CA1524 showed passengers being thrown from their seats as the turbulence hit with at least one person and a crew member left injured as the plane plunged hundreds of feet.

Passengers at the time described the horrifying experience of being thrown from their seats, with one claiming that the ceiling cracked and an emergency exit sign fell to the floor in the chaos.  

‘The first half of the flight was quite smooth. However, in the last 30 to 40 minutes, as people were going back and forth to the restroom, there was a sudden drop that startled everyone,’ passenger Xing Lida said on Weibo.

​’I saw a woman in her 40s and a flight attendant covering the woman with her body both thrown to the ceiling,’ Xing, who reportedly works as an associate professor at China University of Geosciences, told the Global Times.

‘The ceiling cracked and the exit sign fell to the floor next to my feet. There are some sprains and superficial injuries, he said.

Footage of the disaster flight revealed piercing screams ringing through the cabin and travellers gripping onto their seats as they lurched upwards – almost hitting the ceiling.  

As well as passengers being jolted out of their seats, their belongings, including travel pillows and books, were strewn about the cabin.

The dramatic moment lasted less than a second, before terrified passengers who had previously been out of their seats rushed back and hurriedly put their safety belts back on.

According to the Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas: ‘One of the biggest factors in the amount of turbulence you’re likely to experience is your seat position on the plane.

‘To avoid feelings of turbulence, aim for seats at the center of the plane, over the wings, or toward the front. These areas tend to be more stable.’