Why was 2024 the year of turbulence?

2024 saw turbulence in the spotlight after a number of flights experienced severe turbulence, with one event causing death. On May 21, 2024, Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean and the plane dropped 50 metres in less than one second. A 73-year-old British man died and dozens of people were injured. The aircraft made an emergency landing in Bangkok. It was the first time a person had been killed solely by turbulence on a major commercial flight since 1997. But was 2024 the worst year on record for severe turbulence? It may seem that way but Willie Walsh, director general of The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said there were 39m flights projected for 2024 compared to the 20m annual flights about 25 years ago. He said that contributed to the perception of more frequent turbulence. Although IATA said turbulence remained a leading cause of passenger and crew injuries. A number of planes experienced turbulence severe enough to cause injury in 2024. Just days after the Singapore Airlines event, on May 26 turbulence over Turkey injured 12 people on Qatar Airways flight QR107 from Doha to New York.<br/>