Nervous flyer? Scientists believe turbulance is about to get worse

Bad news for anxious flyers – scientists have predicted that serious flight turbulence will increase threefold by 2050.

Researchers at the University of Reading believe climate change is to blame for the dramatic increase.

The group tested their theory by using supercomputer simulations and found that popular flight paths will be the worst affected with turbulence over the North Atlantic set to rise by 180 per cent, Europe 160 per cent and North America 110 per cent.

The type of turbulence researcher looked at (clear air turbulence) does not threaten to bring down planes – though it can cause injury to passengers and crew.

Professor Paul Williams, the study's lead researcher, said: “This problem is only going to worsen as the climate continues to change.

“Our study highlights the need to develop improved turbulence forecasts, which could reduce the risk of injuries to passengers and lower the cost of turbulence to airlines.”

What's more, the cost of flying is expected to increase as a result of climate change, with transatlantic flights expected to take longer due to changes in the temperature-controlled plane mechanisms.

So basically, get all your travelling out of the way now, because we are all probably going to be too poor and scared to do it in a few years.