The most turbulent flight routes in Asia
On Nagoya–Sendai, the bumpiest route in Asia, 51% of the flight time was in bumpy air. A typical Asian route: 18%. The top of the list is under the strongest jet stream on Earth.
The 20 most turbulent routes in Asia
Yellow is the share of the flight in light-or-worse bumpy air, orange the part that was moderate or worse. Tap a route for its live forecast.
- 1 Nagoya – Sendai NGO · SDJ · 518 km 51%24% moderate
- 2 Tokyo Haneda – Komatsu HND · KMQ · 318 km 51%28% moderate
- 3 Hiroshima – Sendai HIJ · SDJ · 826 km 50%23% moderate
- 4 Osaka Itami – Niigata ITM · KIJ · 482 km 50%23% moderate
- 5 Tokyo Haneda – Toyama HND · TOY · 264 km 50%27% moderate
- 6 Niigata – Nagoya Komaki KIJ · NKM · 358 km 49%26% moderate
- 7 Osaka Kansai – Sendai KIX · SDJ · 655 km 49%22% moderate
- 8 Memanbetsu – Nagoya MMB · NGO · 1,185 km 49%20% moderate
- 9 Fukuoka – Sendai FUK · SDJ · 1,070 km 49%22% moderate
- 10 Osaka Itami – Sendai ITM · SDJ · 616 km 49%22% moderate
- 11 Sendai – Kobe SDJ · UKB · 641 km 48%22% moderate
- 12 Sapporo – Shizuoka CTS · FSZ · 937 km 48%20% moderate
- 13 Tokyo Haneda – Osaka Kansai HND · KIX · 432 km 48%22% moderate
- 14 Tokyo Haneda – Matsuyama HND · MYJ · 675 km 48%21% moderate
- 15 Tokyo Haneda – Kumamoto HND · KMJ · 875 km 47%21% moderate
- 16 Asahikawa – Tokyo Haneda AKJ · HND · 931 km 47%19% moderate
- 17 Matsuyama – Tokyo Narita MYJ · NRT · 734 km 47%21% moderate
- 18 Tokyo Haneda – Oita HND · OIT · 772 km 47%21% moderate
- 19 Sapporo – Memanbetsu CTS · MMB · 235 km 47%24% moderate
- 20 Tokyo Haneda – Kobe HND · UKB · 427 km 47%21% moderate
Under the strongest jet stream on Earth
In winter, the jet stream over Japan and Korea is the fastest anywhere: cold air from Siberia meets warm air from the Pacific right there, and the wind at cruise height regularly passes 300 km/h. Where wind speed changes that sharply with height, the air between the layers churns, and that is clear-air turbulence. Japan's domestic network flies straight through it, many times a day.
Every route in this top 20 is Japanese. Further west, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas are the highest ground on the planet, and routes across western China, between Chengdu, Xining and Lhasa, or into Kathmandu, meet both the jet stream and mountain waves. They are bumpy, but less often than Japan's, so they rank lower.
In summer the story moves south: the monsoon brings towering storms over the Bay of Bengal, Southeast Asia and southern China, and flights route around them.
When in the day Asian routes are smoothest
By local departure time, averaged over every ranked Asian route.
The smoothest routes in Asia
Near the equator: Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, far from any jet stream.
- 1 Bali – Mataram DPS · LOP · 122 km 0%0% moderate
- 2 Kuantan – Singapore KUA · SIN · 283 km 1%0% moderate
- 3 Kuala Lumpur – Singapore KUL · SIN · 297 km 1%0% moderate
- 4 Johor Bahru – Kuala Lumpur JHB · KUL · 250 km 1%0% moderate
- 5 Jakarta – Bandar Lampung CGK · TKG · 190 km 1%0% moderate
- 6 Langkawi – Penang LGK · PEN · 130 km 1%0% moderate
- 7 Manado – Ternate MDC · TTE · 284 km 1%0% moderate
- 8 Singapore – Kuala Lumpur Subang SIN · SZB · 336 km 1%0% moderate
- 9 Phuket – Penang HKT · PEN · 381 km 1%0% moderate
- 10 Johor Bahru – Kuala Lumpur Subang JHB · SZB · 288 km 1%0% moderate
Asian turbulence questions
What is the most turbulent flight route in Asia?
Nagoya–Sendai, with 51% of the flight time in light-or-worse bumpy air across every snapshot in the report.
Why is there so much turbulence over Japan?
In winter the jet stream over Japan is the strongest in the world, and the wind shear around it is where clear-air turbulence forms. Japan's mountains add waves on top. The domestic routes fly through both, every day; summer is far calmer.
Is flying over the Himalayas turbulent?
Often, because the jet stream sits over the plateau for much of the year and wind over the highest ground on Earth makes mountain waves. Most long-haul routes go around the highest part rather than over it.
When is the best time to fly in Asia to avoid turbulence?
For Japan, Korea and northern China, late spring to early autumn, when the jet stream is weakest. For South and Southeast Asia, the dry season, away from the monsoon storms.
A ranking is the average. Your flight is one day.
FlyBud forecasts the turbulence along your actual route, at your actual time, and updates it as new weather comes in.