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Even for the calmest of fliers, a sudden bout of unexpected turbulence can be unnerving, especially when it’s the kind to jolt you from your seat and send drinks on your tray table flying. Luckily, that kind of extreme turbulence is rare, and even when it does occur, it’s unlikely to cause any real safety issues to your flight.
But some flight routes around the world are far more prone to turbulence than others, due to the terrain they fly over and weather conditions en route.
Each year, turbulence forecasting website Turbli publishes an analysis of around 10,000 flight routes, connecting the world’s 550 largest airports, to establish the most turbulent flight routes of the year. And in 2025, two regions saw far more turbulence than most.
The routes listed have been ranked according to the “eddy dissipation rate,” which measures how intense a bout of turbulence is at a given spot, ranging from light to extreme.
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For 2025, the world’s most turbulent flight route was between Mendoza and Santiago, a 120-mile journey between Argentina and Chile, crossing the rugged peaks of the Andes. The 275-mile route between Xining and Yinchuan in Northwest China was next.
Five of the top 10 most turbulent routes in 2025 were flight routes in Asia, specifically China, while four were flights traveling across South America. The last route on the list is in the US, the 400-mile leg between Denver and Jackson, Wyoming.
All of the top 10 routes were short-to-medium haul flights, although data revealed the 3,105-mile journey between Avarua, in the Cook Islands and Sydney, Australia, to be the world’s most turbulent long-haul route.
The 10 most turbulent flight routes in the world
1. Mendoza (MDZ) – Santiago (SCL)
2. Xining (XNN) – Yinchuan (INC)
3. Chengdu (TFU) – Xining (XNN)
4. Cordoba (COR) – Santiago (SCL)
5. Santa Cruz (VVI) – Santiago (SCL)
6. Chengdu (TFU) – Lanzhou (LHW)
7. Mendoza (MDZ) – Salta (SLA)
8. Chengdu (CTU) – Yinchuan (INC)
9. Xining (XNN) – Lhasa (LXA)
10. Denver (DEN) – Jackson (JAC)
The most turbulent flight routes by continent
Turbli also looked at the most turbulent flights broken down by continent, naming the bumpiest routes of 2025 across the world:
North America: Denver (DEN) – Jackson (JAC)
South America: Mendoza (MDZ) – Santiago (SCL)
Europe: Nice (NCE) – Geneva (GVA)
Asia: Xining (XNN) – Yinchuan (INC)
Africa: Durban (DUR) – Johannesburg (JNB)
Oceania: Christchurch (CHC) – Wellington (WLG)
Are the skies getting bumpier?
While turbulence is generally nothing to worry about, some experts say shifting weather patterns are making it more common. “Turbulence is increasing with climate change,” Isabel Smith of the University of Reading’s Meteorology Department previously told Condé Nast Traveller UK. However, she stresses that the impact of increased turbulence is more likely to be felt outside the plane than on board it, as airlines will do their best to avoid flight paths where turbulence is forecast.
“Airlines will normally plan out the route with the least amount of turbulence,” Smith says, noting that “avoiding turbulence will lead to longer and more convoluted flight paths.”
Instead of bumpier flights, fliers are “more likely to be hit by longer flight routes, more delays, and longer waiting times at airports,” she says.
This story originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller Middle East. It has been updated with new information since its original publication date.
