It was a horrifying nightmarish flight for the passengers on board a flight from London to Singapore as the plane hit clear air turbulence near Bangkok in Thailand.

This was no ordinary clear air turbulence as the plane rocked violently throwing up passengers from their seats into the roof of the plane and bringing them back with a bang crushing the bones of some passengers against their seats.

One passenger died not due to injuries but because of a heart failure. So terrible was the ordeal. It is not that clear air turbulence is rare. I think most of us who have flown and especially those whose professions dictate frequent air travel have encountered clear air turbulence not once but several times.

I myself have experienced this phenomenon non-stop from New York to Dover and while we were over the Atlantic it continued unabated till we were close to landing. In most cases and especially at night, passengers kind of get used to it and those enjoying the hospitality of first and business class just dive deeper into their blankets and go to sleep.

The ordinary passengers too try to ignore it and in most cases this phenomenon does not last for very long. For this particular flight from London to Singapore it was swift, short and lethal.

I have always held the opinion that as global warming continues unabated and we continue to poison and pollute planet earth, it, in turn, hits back in the form of unprecedented weather events like enormous quantities of rain within a short period, cyclones and tornadoes that rip up entire localities, heat waves that bake both earth and its inhabitants at the same rate, hail stones; the size of baseballs and even bigger, melting glaciers and floods that are changing entire landscapes, it was therefore not unexpected that sometime down the line, air travel too will be affected by these tremendous and overwhelming climate changes. What happened to this flight from London to Singapore only bears testimony to this fact.

According to statistics available, weather currently causes more than 75% of air traffic delays in the US. According to reports, as climate change worsens coastal flooding and extreme weather events, more flights could be grounded from weather-related delays.

A warming atmosphere can also increase in-flight turbulence. In a recent study it was found that over the past 40 years, severe clear air turbulence over the North Atlantic increased by more than 50%. Scientists expect that this type of turbulence will grow even more common as global warming continues.

The unfortunate incident that claimed the life of a passenger recently testifies to these findings and poses a serious question for the airline industry.

Global warming can have a direct physical impact on flying as really high heat can cause delays because a plane in high temperatures needs more time and more distance to take off to fight gravity. It is not just flying but other modes of transportation that will also be affected by climate change. According to a study, the design of most of transportation infrastructure in the world was based on the climate of the mid-20th century. As climate change continues to warm the planet and make weather more extreme, much of that infrastructure will become less safe and reliable.

Clear air turbulence was just a buzz word used casually by those who travelled by air. After the incident with the airline near Bangkok it has assumed more serious proportions and will have to entail a thorough review of procedures once the aircraft is in air. How and when will food be served and what materials will be used to serve the food. What steps to take for the safety of the cabin crew who cannot remain sitting or be tied down for long hours.

Already, some airlines are considering not to serve hot food or beverages during flight. It is simply amazing that mankind will bend over backwards to accommodate global warming and climate change and face all its hazards but will not lift a finger to take steps to avoid actions that promote and increase global warming and in turn threaten the very existence of our planet.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024