Emirates turns to AI to predict and avoid flight turbulence

Research shows that climate change is making turbulence in our skies worse, increasing the risk it brings to aircraft, airlines, and passengers. Severe clear-air incidents have grown by 55% in the last 40 years on major flight routes, the UK’s University of Reading has found. But Dubai-based UAE flag carrier Emirates is using AI, machine learning, and participation in a constellation of data sources to improve its forecasting about turbulence and, it says, offer flyers “smoother flights.”

In a press release, Emirates said its current weather detection setup “brings together SkyPath, Lido mPilot from Lufthansa Systems and IATA Turbulence Aware.” This configuration uses AI, machine learning, and real-time crowd-sourced turbulence data, as well as pilot reports, to gain a more accurate picture of where turbulence might affect aviation.

Skypath, a Tel Aviv-based turbulence-avoidance start-up, takes real-time turbulence reports from thousands of pilots, including Emirates crew, and, using innovative analytics, advanced AI, and machine learning, generates “accurate predictions, even for areas with no current flight activity or challenging ‘clear air’ turbulence.”

At the same time, through a partnership with Lufthansa Systems Lido mPilot Weather Predictions and the German Weather Service, Emirates gains customised navigational charting tailored to the airline’s operational requirements based on high-accuracy weather reporting, live cloud and convection data, as well as turbulence and icing predictions. Emirates also continuously feeds back into this system, enabling it to grow its capability.

The same goes for IATA Turbulence Aware with Emirates, “actively contributing and consuming real-time turbulence data from its extensive network across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia,” since last year. This data, the airline says, provides information to IATA’s global turbulence platform, which “aggregates inputs from participating airlines worldwide to provide a comprehensive, real-time view of atmospheric conditions.”

According to its press release, all these data sources are included in its electronic flight bag charting application, equipping its pilots with “live, in-situ turbulence visualisations. This enables more informed decision-making in the cockpit, allowing crews to anticipate and avoid turbulent areas, ultimately enhancing passenger comfort, operational safety, and fuel efficiency.”

Recognising turbulence as “an ongoing challenge that cannot be completely eliminated” by the aviation sector, Captain Hassan Alhammadi, Divisional Senior Vice President Flight Operations at Emirates said: “While we cannot promise turbulence-free flights, these initiatives have contributed to a significant reduction in unexpected severe turbulence incidents over the past year, helping make journeys safer and more comfortable for our customers.”