Increase in Flight Turbulence Incidents Linked to Global Warming, Experts Investigate Safety Measures

Recent incidents of severe inflight turbulence have raised concerns over airline safety and the potential link to climate change. A Qatar Airways flight en route from Doha to Dublin, a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Izmir, and a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore all experienced severe turbulence, resulting in numerous injuries and one fatality. These events have prompted discussions about whether the increase in such incidents could be related to global warming, which is suspected to cause more clear air turbulence—a phenomenon difficult to detect with current technology.

• Three separate incidents of severe inflight turbulence reported on Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Singapore Airlines, causing injuries and one death.
• 26 passengers from the Singapore Airlines flight remain hospitalized with serious injuries after the plane experienced a rapid altitude drop and severe G-force changes.
• Clear air turbulence, which occurs in clear skies without visual warnings, is difficult for pilots to detect and avoid.
• A study by Reading University found a 55% increase in clear air turbulence in the North Atlantic between 1979 and 2020, suggesting a possible link to climate change.
• Airlines, including Singapore Airlines, are tightening seat belt policies and exploring solutions to better monitor and predict clear air turbulence.
• Experts emphasize that aircraft are designed to withstand severe turbulence, and current incidents are considered more of an inconvenience than a safety threat.
• There is a significant correlation between rising global temperatures and the increase in frequency of clear air turbulence, with every 1% increase in average temperature potentially leading to a 10% increase in turbulence frequency.
• Airlines are adapting policies for increased passenger safety, including extended seat belt usage, suspension of hot meal service during turbulence, and requirements for infants to be fastened in child seats.

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