Among Europe’s most turbulent flights are several to, from, and over Switzerland. But nervous flyers will be pleased to hear this could soon be a thing of the past.
You can experience a turbulent flight anywhere in the world, but it just so happens that several routes to and from Switzerland are the most prone to this phenomenon.
This is what emerged from a ranking compiled by Turbli, a site dedicated to tracking such events.
Their analysis found – and you’d better sit down and buckle up for this – that the flights from Nice in France to Geneva and Zurich are the shakiest in Europe. And the Milan to Zurich flight was ranked the third bumpiest in Europe.
Other Swiss flights also make the top 10, including Nice to Basel, Geneva to Zurich, Geneva to Venice, Venice to Zurich and Lyon to Zurich.
But that’s not all: In terms of shaky takeoffs and landings, Switzerland’s airports are also among the bumpiest in Europe: Zurich airport is the third place, and Geneva in the 8th.
That’s because, according to Turbli, routes over the Alps “appear high in the ranking due to mountain wave turbulence.”
Smoother rides ahead
Passengers on Switzerland’s two airlines, SWISS and Edelweiss, can look forward to a bump-less flights, even over the Alps.
That’s because the two will participate, along with other airlines in the Lufthansa group, in the “IATA Turbulence Aware” data platform to help avoid shaking during flights.
This system provides pilots with real-time information about turbulent activities and is designed to make flights smoother, safer, and more predictable. For passengers, this means fewer unexpected jolts and a more comfortable ride.
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This is how it works
According to Lufthansa, SWISS’ and Edelweiss’ mother company, “the platform collects anonymised measurement data from sensors on thousands of aircraft worldwide and makes it available to cockpits as a colour-coded turbulence map.“
This allows pilots to avoid areas of turbulence early on or adjust their altitude accordingly.
“Furthermore, thanks to precise early warnings, cabin crew can better plan or interrupt in-flight services in a timely manner, thus increasing safety.
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Not a new technology, but even more relevant now
The system, developed by the industry organisation IATA (The International Air Transport Association, which has its executive offices at the Geneva airport), has been in use since 2018 by at least 25 airlines worldwide.
This platform is even more needed now, however, because air traffic turbulence is increasing.
Researchers believe that climate change will likely cause it to become even more frequent and intense in the future because rising temperatures are altering jet streams and wind shear, making the atmosphere less stable and potentially significantly intensifying clear-air turbulence by the end of the century.
