Lara Williams, Columnist

Flying Is Getting More Turbulent. Airlines Better Buckle Up

There’s no ignoring the role the climate crisis is playing in making air travel choppier.

May 22, 2024 at 8:25 AM UTC

By Lara Williams

Lara Williams is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering climate change.

Emergency landing.
Photographer: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP

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Tens of thousands of flights take off and land without incident every day, all around the world. So when something tragic does happen, the world’s eyes become glued to the story — especially if it reveals the deadly side of an extremely common flight experience.

One man was killed and many others injured when a Singapore Airlines Ltd. flight encountered severe turbulence en route to Singapore from London on Tuesday. The airplane, a Boeing 777-300 ER, had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. The deceased had a heart condition, which officials think may be behind his death.