While turbulence is a very common flying fear due to the feeling that the plane is going to come down, incidents of planes crashing due to turbulence are extremely rare.
A far greater danger are the injuries that can occur by being thrown around the cabin. The most horrific example in recent airline history occurred when, in May 2024, a Singapore Airlines (SINGF)  flight between London and Singapore’s Changi Airport hit turbulence so severe it left 144 of the 229 passengers and crew aboard the plane with injuries.
A 73-year-old British man died from a suspected heart attack while a 52-year-old Australian woman was left paralyzed from her chest down. Scientists have been warning that, as climate change shifts global temperatures and wind patterns, incidents of extreme turbulence are only going to get more frequent.
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‘Medical personnel met the flight upon arrival to evaluate customers and crew’
The latest incident occurred on a Delta Air Lines (DAL)  flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam on July 30. Flight DL56 was diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) less than an hour into the flight at approximately 8 p.m. local time after hitting turbulence so severe it caused some passengers to be thrown around the cabin.
25 of the 275 passengers and 13 crew members aboard the Airbus A33-900 (EADSF)  were taken into the local hospital “for evaluation and care.”
Related: Afraid of turbulence? These are the flight routes to avoid.
“The aircraft, an Airbus A330-900, landed safely at MSP, and medical personnel met the flight upon arrival to evaluate customers and crew,” Delta said in a statement issued for the incident. “Twenty-five of those on board were transported to local hospitals for evaluation and care. We are grateful for the support of all emergency responders involved.”
As of July 31, no major injuries were reported while Delta said that it is “working directly with customers to support their immediate needs.”
Image source: Getty Images.
As turbulence gets more frequent, airlines make certain changes
According to flight tracking data, the plane had climbed up to 37,000 feet when it encountered turbulence and had to redirect the flight approximately 40 minutes after takeoff.
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As turbulence becomes more frequent, airlines have looked at different ways to minimize its impact. Following the May 2024 crash, Singapore Airlines tightened its seat belt policy to require that they be kept on during long-haul flights even when the sign for them is off. While most airlines advise passengers to do this in the overhead announcement at the start of the flight, few actively monitor or enforce it.
After receiving statistics showing that turbulence on its flights increased by more than 50% between 2019 and 2024, Korean Air pulled its signature complimentary snack of instant noodles for economy passengers “as part of proactive safety measures in response to increased turbulence, aimed at preventing burn accidents.”
In December 2024, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (LUV)  also began preparing cabins for landing at 10,000 feet instead of the previous 18,000 feet — while flight attendants will have to act quicker, the airline’s leadership decided that this would minimize the time that they are moving around the cabin and in so doing “reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries.”
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