The Turbulence Aware Platform was introduced in 2018 to assist airlines in mitigating the effects of turbulence, which is the primary cause of passenger and crew injuries and increased fuel costs each year. Thousands of aircraft operated by participating airlines contribute anonymized turbulence data to the platform. Real-time, accurate data enables pilots and dispatchers to select optimal flight paths, avoid turbulence, and fly at optimal altitudes in order to maximise fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.
As climate change continues to impact weather patterns, the difficulty of managing turbulence is likely to increase. This has both safety and efficiency implications for flight. Turbulence Aware is a significant enhancement for reporting turbulence and preventing excessive fuel consumption.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said, “Accurate and timely data empowers crews to improve safety by avoiding turbulence. The more contributors we have, the more everyone benefits. The addition of ANA and WestJet enhances our coverage especially in Asia Pacific and North America.”
Currently, twenty airlines contribute to the IATA Turbulence Aware Platform, with more than 1,900 aircraft offering daily data. In 2022, 31 million reports were generated in total.
On 1 July 2023, ANA will begin providing data from nine aircraft, with the goal of increasing this number to 125 aircraft within the next three years.
WestJet is currently collecting data from 24 aircraft and will increase this number to 60 over the next three years.
IATA will host a Turbulence Aware User Forum on June 19-20, 2023, at the WestJet Campus in Calgary, Canada, in order to collect additional feedback from airlines and engage with OEMs and other solution providers.