Not for the faint of heart: The most turbulent routes of 2024

For some, flying on an airplane is a real holiday where everything is perfect, from the airport atmosphere to take-off and landing. But for some, the thought of a plane soaring several thousand meters above the ground causes horror. Hello to all aerophobes! We are with you.

Now some statistics: One in four people are afraid of flying. And one in three aerophobes is sure that plane crashes are associated precisely with turbulence – shaking due to weather conditions. Theoretically, there is nothing wrong with turbulence, of course. It is harmless to the aircraft itself. The plane is safe even in severe turbulence. It is designed taking all emergencies into consideration.

But if you are afraid of getting into air gaps during the flight, we will tell you on which routes they occur most often. Yet he who is forewarned is forearmed.

The 10 most turbulent countries

For those who are too obsessed with their own security, there are online services for tracking the most turbulent countries – “plump” occurs on them. For example, on the Turbli website you can follow turbulent routes in real time and also find out in which regions they may appear in the near future. The service also created its own statistics on the most dangerous countries; He states that planes flying over it often crash into air gaps.

So, the island of Madagascar took first place – the turbulence on it is 17 points. Meanwhile, anything up to 20 points is considered a slight increase. Mozambique ranks second, followed by other countries in Southern Africa (Malawi, Zambia, Angola, Uruguay and others).

What should you do if you find yourself in an area of ​​turbulence?

Always choose your seats carefully. If you already suffer from aerophobia and even the thought of shaking in the sky can scare you, choose seats at the front of the plane because the shaking at the back is stronger. It’s best to sit near emergency exits as every second counts during an emergency landing.

Keep your seat belts fastened. When a Russian airline plane crashed into clear-air turbulence in 2017, there were 27 victims on board who needed medical attention after landing. As you can imagine, not all of these people were wearing seat belts during the bumpy ride. If possible, keep your seat belt fastened throughout the flight as you cannot know for sure when the plane will experience turbulence.

Try to relax. Consider that ground transport shakes much more often and stronger. To feel less vibration, lift your feet off the floor, put something soft under your head and do a breathing exercise – inhale for four seconds, exhale for eight. Most of the time turbulence does not last more than 10 minutes.