Turbulence remains the major cause of inflight fatalities, one of the main causes of injuries in-flight and is the leading cause of injuries in non-fatal accidents according to IATA. Several initiatives have been set up by the world aviation body to make forecasting turbulence more accurate for aircraft crew and safety managers.
It is costing the airline industry millions of dollars every year, due to the potential for in-flight diversions caused by injuries, damaged aircraft interiors, excessive fuel burn, and CO2 emissions.
Current aviation meteorological tools are insufficient:
- Pilot reports are subjective and can vary depending on aircraft size and pilot experience.
- Forecasts can be many hours old and potentially inaccurate.
- Existing tools for managing turbulence have limitations:
- Forecasts that may be inaccurate and hours old.
- Weather radar is used for turbulence avoidance related to thunderstorms but cannot detect clear air turbulence.
There are hopes that more recent technical advancements now enable aircraft to accurately calculate the turbulence state of the atmosphere in flight. Airlines use existing sensor data, processed through an algorithm, to calculate turbulence values. These values are compiled into a report including a time stamp, aircraft position, and altitude. Automated real-time turbulence reports are sent to the ground using standard aircraft communication systems. Data is collected from airlines or third-party ground servers in real-time, is consolidated, quality controlled, and anonymised. Data processing throughout the platform takes a maximum of 30 seconds.
Airlines have requested IATA to act as a global data consolidator and a number of airlines currently employ turbulence reporting products but don’t look beyond their own airline.
This leaves pilots and dispatchers with coverage gaps, making it difficult to plan and fly around turbulence areas.
With many airlines contributing their turbulence data to a shared database, the industry will improve turbulence mitigation through enhanced visibility of turbulence reports across multiple carriers.
Delta Air Lines introduced technology which enabled captains to choose to rely on turbulence data and secured the cabin despite a smooth ride report from ATC. The aircraft subsequently flew through moderate turbulence where several unsecured items were tossed about. No injuries occurred to passengers or cabin crew.
