Emirates joins turbulence detection platform after recent mishaps

Image credit: Emirates Airline

Emirates Airline has joined the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) turbulence detection platform following recent incidents involving extreme turbulence experienced by Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways. The move is aimed at helping Dubai’s flag carrier prevent similar mishaps and ensure passenger safety.

IATA’s turbulence detection platform provides real-time and detailed information to manage and mitigate the impact of turbulence – one of the main causes of passenger and crew injuries.

“Mitigating the adverse effects of turbulence is an industry-wide challenge and obtaining accurate and live data is key in this endeavour,” said Frederic Leger, IATA’s senior vice president of Commercial Products and Services.

“The cooperation between IATA Turbulence Aware, Emirates and Lufthansa Systems will further improve the quality and quantity of real-time data made available to the industry, allowing for smoother and safer air travel for all.”

Emirates is integrating IATA’s platform with the latest version of Lido mPilot, a mobile navigation system made by Germany’s Lufthansa Systems. The carrier said merging the two platforms offers pilots highly accurate turbulence information and forecasts, equipping them with the means to fly around turbulent areas.

The airline said it has equipped 140 aircraft with software that automatically shares turbulence reports among all airlines contributing to the platform. Similarly, all new aircraft joining the Emirates fleet, including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner, will participate, the airline said in a statement.

IATA’s Turbulence Aware pools anonymised turbulence data from thousands of flights operated globally. The information enables pilots and dispatchers to choose optimal flight paths, avoiding turbulence and flying at peak levels and altitudes to maximise fuel efficiency.

Emirates’ full-year profit surged by 60 per cent to $4.69bn (Dhs17.23bn), comfortably beating the previous year’s Dhs10.6bn, buoyed by robust demand for air transport and travel-related services.

The airline carried 51.9 million passengers in the year to March 31, with seat capacity up 21.4 per cent.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London encountered severe turbulence, prompting the pilots to request an emergency landing in Bangkok. One man died and dozens were injured in the accident. Last week, 12 people were injured after a Qatar Airways flight QR017 from Doha to Dublin was hit with turbulence flying over Turkey.

Read: Dubai’s Emirates Airline expands retrofit programme to 191 aircraft