When flying by plane, people are afraid of various things, one of which is certainly turbulence.
Turbulence is the worst part of flying for many people. Although it's a surprisingly common phenomenon, it can be unsettling – even for the most experienced travelers.
But turbulence is often misunderstood. It poses very little danger on modern commercial aircraft, with most injuries occurring when passengers are not wearing seatbelts.
Turbulence is defined by the US National Weather Service as a phenomenon "caused by sudden, irregular air movements that create sharp, rapid updrafts and downdrafts" that "act in combination to unexpectedly propel an aircraft."
The most common type, called clear air turbulence (CAT), is defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as “sudden, severe turbulence that occurs in cloud-free areas and causes the aircraft to pitch violently.” The FAA adds that this is “particularly problematic because it often occurs unexpectedly and without visual cues.”
Which flight routes are most affected by turbulence?
Data from turbulence forecasting website Turbly, which analyzed around 10.000 routes connecting 550 of the largest airports, revealed the most turbulent flights in 2024.
Routes are ranked by “vorticity dissipation rate,” which Turbli founder Ignacio Galego Marcos describes as “a measure of the intensity of turbulence at a given point.”
The 196-kilometer route between Mendoza in Argentina and the Chilean capital Santiago was named the most turbulent, while the route between Cordoba in Spain and Santiago came in second place, the Independent reports.
Turbley also broke down the most turbulent flights by continent, finding that the 298-kilometer journey between Nice and Geneva topped the list for Europe, while in North America the most turbulent flight was between Albuquerque and Denver, at 561 kilometers.
In Asia, the most turbulent flight was between Kathmandu in Nepal and Lhasa in China, while in Africa, the most turbulent flight was on a domestic flight from Durban to Johannesburg in South Africa, reports N1 Zagreb.
In Oceania, the most turbulent domestic flight was between Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand. For South America, the most turbulent was the aforementioned flight between Mendoza and Santiago, which also topped the list of short-haul flights under 1.500 kilometers.
For long routes over 4.500 kilometers with the highest average turbulence, the peak was the flight between Nairobi, Kenya, and Sepang, Malaysia.
Top 10 most turbulent flights in the world according to data from Turbli:
1. Mendoza (MDZ) – Santiago (SCL)
2. Cordoba (COR) - Santiago (SCL)
3. Mendoza (MDZ) – Salta (SLA)
4. Mendoza (MDZ) – San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC)
5. Kathmandu (KTM) – Las Vegas (LKSA)
6. Chengdu (CTU) – Lhasa (LKSA)
7. Santa Cruz (VVI) – Santiago (SCL)
8. Katmandu (KTM) - Paro (PBH)
9. Chengdu (CTU) – Sining (KSNN)
10. San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC) – Santiago (SCL)
Bonus video:
