Aviation regulators are pushing for global action to reduce injuries from turbulence

Aviation officials in Asia are pushing for global action to reduce injuries from turbulence, with recent high-profile incidents prompting calls for improved forecasting across borders at a meeting of regulators in Montreal starting on Monday.

Although turbulence does not often cause deaths, it is the leading cause of accidents, according to data from the UN aviation agency, and severe weather patterns caused by climate change could lead to more incidents, experts say.

It is one of several issues being addressed by global regulators at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s air navigation conference, which runs until September 6.

These flight routes experience the most turbulence in the world

Concerns about turbulence on planes have grown since a Singapore Airlines flight from London in May encountered a serious incident that left one dead and dozens injured.

Countries such as Japan, Korea and Singapore want turbulence to be added as a category in ICAO’s 2026 Global Aviation Safety Plan, which outlines industry priorities, according to the event’s working papers. ICAO said a decision would be made by its 193 member states at its triennial meeting next year.

Japan and other countries would like ICAO to improve real-time coordination of sharing weather and turbulence data across borders as countries move to make alerts easier for pilots to use, an aviation office official said civil service of the country.

Some countries in Asia are taking early steps to make information, now usually sent in text format, more visually accessible.

Turbulence last year accounted for about 40 percent of all accidents involving large aircraft in scheduled commercial operations, according to ICAO’s 2024 Annual Safety Report.

Although not currently mandated by Japan, carrier All Nippon Airways now voluntarily broadcasts a safety video at the start and during flights to prevent turbulence-related accidents.

Korean Air announced in August that it would stop serving instant noodles, a popular snack in Korea known as ramyeon, which requires boiling water, on long-haul flights, following changes in response to increased turbulence incidents.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Maki Shiraki in Tokyo. Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington in Seoul Editing by William Maclean)

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