Why are flights more chaotic than ever?

Passengers MUST have experienced a storm at least once when they were on a plane.

And while no one really likes it, we’ll have to fasten our seat belts as there’s a chance flights will be more turbulent than ever.

2

In essence, turbulence is a change in the air that can shake an aircraft, and it is usually harmless.

Pilots try to avoid turbulence by flying in the lower troposphere – the layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth.

But the climate crisis is causing changes in the earth’s atmosphere and its effects.

New research published in Scientific advance discovered that as the planet warms, the atmosphere closest to Earth is rising.

That means pilots will need to fly higher to avoid turbulence, and passengers will most likely have a much bumpier ride in the future.

The ‘invisible perturbation’ caused by wind shear – i.e. when wind speed changes dramatically, at right angles to the wind’s current direction – will also increase in the coming decades as the Earth warms .

This creates a rotational force on the plane, creating turbulence.

This ‘invisible turbulence’ can be quite serious and cause anxiety to flyers.

Word study University reading suggests it will be three times more common by 2050 to 2080.

Currently, climate change is causing the temperature difference between the Earth’s poles and the equator to narrow.

But new research shows the opposite is happening at about 34,000 feet – the typical flying altitude of an airplane.

The jet stream – the fast-flowing air used by pilots to save fuel – is driven by this temperature difference.

This increasing temperature difference is “causing an increase in turbulent wind shear”, the experts warn.

So if you’re afraid of flying, you’ll likely have a bumpier ride in the future.

A former flight attendant revealed worst point for chaos on a flight from the UK to the US.

And Sun Online Travel has mapped the areas where you are most likely to experience instability, so you can book flights that avoid it.

2