High-altitude turbulence tricky to detect, experts say, as Cathay investigates case

Cathay Pacific says it is ‘gathering facts’ surrounding case of severe turbulence that injured 10 on flight from Brisbane

Even the most advanced aircraft radar systems cannot fully detect high-altitude turbulence, aviation experts have said, as Cathay Pacific Airways investigates an incident that injured 10 people on a Hong Kong-bound flight from Brisbane last week.

Hong Kong’s flag carrier revealed on Tuesday that it had launched the probe following calls for an inquiry into the weather forecast relayed to the flight crew and how quickly the pilots responded.

The Airbus A350-900 aircraft operating flight CX156 from the Australian city was hit by severe turbulence about two hours before landing on Saturday.

The jolt occurred during breakfast service in the economy cabin, injuring four passengers and six unbuckled crew members as food trolleys overturned and oxygen masks deployed.

A passenger said the drop in altitude lasted about two seconds, describing the experience as feeling like “free-falling from a drop tower” as everyone screamed and loose items flew through the air.

The incident occurred days after Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau released its final report into Singapore Airlines flight 321’s encounter with severe turbulence over Myanmar in May 2024.