Several aviation authorities want ICAO to include turbulence as a category in its Global Aviation Safety Plan 2026 to help reduce injuries.
Turbulence rarely causes fatalities, but it can happen, as we saw earlier this year with Singapore Airlines flight SQ-321. This accident occurred in May of this year and left 23 passengers and 7 crew members injured.
20 people required intensive care and 7 were in critical condition upon arrival. The one fatality was a person who reportedly suffered a heart attack. The Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 was cruising at flight level 370 at the time of this incident.
However, turbulence usually causes injuries, often serious ones. Cabin crew are hit the hardest because they are usually more mobile than passengers. However, open-air turbulence can hit an aircraft with little or no warning and cause injuries to people who are not wearing seat belts.
The push to include turbulence in ICAO’s Global Aviation Safety Plan 2026 comes primarily from aviation authorities in Asia. Several airlines have also introduced new guidelines following the ill-fated flight to Singapore to reduce injuries caused by turbulence.
Reducing turbulence injuries – more information, better technology or laws?
These measures are primarily about informing passengers of the danger. One piece of advice that many passengers have ignored so far is to wear their seatbelt whenever they are seated, including during the cruise. Changing this trend is an important goal, and some in the industry are calling for this step to become mandatory.
Many airlines do not appear to want legislation on this issue, but new technologies and procedures could give pilots better ways to identify where turbulence is likely to occur and act accordingly to avoid injuries.
One such method is to automate the distribution and sharing of pilot reports (PIREPs) to other pilots. Some airlines already use such services based on the ACARS system.
There are arguments that climate change makes turbulence more likely. On the other hand, if pilots are informed in advance of such events, they can change their flight altitude or prepare the passenger cabin accordingly.
In addition, there are technologies that could theoretically directly detect turbulence in clear air and thus help the crew reduce injuries. However, these technologies seem to be too expensive to implement, at least for now (see the video at the end of the article for more information).
It is not clear what measures the aviation authorities expect ICAO to take to limit injuries caused by turbulence in open air. ICAO holds a meeting of its 193 members every three years, with the next one planned for next year. ICAO says discussions on the issue will take place there.
For more information on clear sky turbulence and what airlines and regulators can do about it, watch the MentourNOW video below!
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