Which flight routes experience the most turbulence on average?. Turbulence is the worst part of flying for many people. Though it’s a phenomenon that happens surprisingly regularly, it can often be alarming – one that can strike fear into even the most seasoned flyers.
![[Santiago in Chile is one airport known for turbulent flights]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/13/21/33/iStock-878457674.jpeg)
But it is often misunderstood; it provides very little threat to modern commercial aircraft, with most injuries occurring when people aren’t strapped into their seats. Turbulence is defined by the US National Weather Service as a phenomenon that is “caused by abrupt, irregular movements of air that create sharp, quick updrafts and downdrafts” that “occur in combinations and move aircraft unexpectedly”.
The most common type, called clear air turbulence (CAT), is defined by the Federal Aviation Administration as “sudden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that causes violent buffeting of aircraft”. It adds that this “is especially troublesome because it is often encountered unexpectedly and frequently without visual clues”.
So what is the likelihood that you’ll be affected by turbulence, and which flying routes are most affected by it? We answer the key questions. Read more: What is turbulence and can it cause your plane to crash?. While most flyers will have encountered some mild turbulence before, severe turbulence is far more rare. Some figures put the number of flights affected by severe turbulence as one departure in every 50,000.
Conditions caused by global warming mean that we may see slightly more turbulence in the future. According to data taken over the last 15 years by the Federal Aviation Administration, the total number of serious passenger injuries related to turbulence in the US is 37.
