Muscat: More airlines have agreed to share real time air turbulence data through a online platform to to improve situational awareness and increasing safety.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday discussd two turbulence incidents that led to the death of a passenger and critically several others.
The safety experts said that such incidents are rare but one cannot diminish the importance of the subject,
Willie Walsh, IATA Director General, replying to medial questions at the Annual General Meeting said that "Air trubulence is not new issue, but we are not attempting to diminish the importance of of the subject. It is a rare occurrence, but it is it is on our radar to monitor."
The customised Turbulance Aware platform will help pilots and the crew to avoid dangerous weather and maintain safety standards in flight with details about the turbulence at their fingertips.
Advanced notice will also enable airtines to have optimal flight planning and fuel efficiency, reduce chance of turbulence related maintenance issues and aircraft damage, fuel cost savings and insurance related cost savings due to crew and/or aircraft injury.
While admiting that the direct link between the climate change and tubuleance incidents have been not yet established, it is a major major safety concern with number of people are injured by turbulence, while not wearing seatbelts.
The safety experts at the AGM suggest some airlines have made it mandatory to wear seatbelts all times, but it advisable in general to do so to avoid to causing injuries to self as well as otehrs.
Cabin attendants are particularly at risk. Occasionally, turbulence events require an aircraft to divert, with all the inconvenience and associated costs that entails.
Singapore Airlines SQ321
One passenger died and 71 people were injured when their Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence recently, throwing passengers and crew around the cabin and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. The Boeing 777-300ER was about 10 hours into its flight and midway through meal service when it hit turbulence while flying over Myanmar.
Qatar Airways QR017
Twelve people were injured after a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin was hit with turbulence a few days after the Singapore Airlines incident. The flight, which landed in Dublin shortly before 1pm local time, was met by emergency services. Both incidents are under investigation.
Jetstar
Passengers on Jetstar flight from Auckland to Dunedin was forced to turn back after running into "significant turbulence".
The captain reported “strong wind fluctuations” – and decided to turn the plane around yesterday "as a precaution".
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
