Professor Rico Merkert,an aviation expert at the University of Sydney,said technical aircraft issues resulting in incidents,as in the Singapore and LATAM flights,were extremely rare. However,fastening seatbelts during flights is a highly sensible precaution,with aircrafts contending with more unstable “air pockets”,descending air currents that can cause a plane to drop abruptly.

“Flying,especially long-haul,is still by far the safest mode of transport. That said,flight turbulences are getting more common and also more severe,” said Merkert.

“Airlines use jet streams[strong winds that help planes travel faster],and due to climate change,there are now more air pockets.”

A2023 analysis from the University of Reading in the UK found that the frequency of in-clear-air turbulence,a type of invisible turbulence,considered the most dangerous for an aircraft,is increasing,due to warmer air from climate change,which is known to increase wind shear (sudden changes in wind) in jet streams.

The study,which measured the frequency of turbulence over a 40-year period,showed that one of the world’s busiest flight routes over the North Atlantic Ocean had experienced a 55 per cent increase in severe turbulence since 1979,with significant increases in moderate to light turbulence too (37 per cent and 17 per cent respectively).

It’s something travellers will need to be more wary of in the future,particularly when flying long haul or over bodies of water,where air pockets are more common due to ocean surface winds,air-sea cooling and evaporation.

Increases in the frequency of heatwaves and rising temperatures will translate to bumpier flights,as aircraft experience shifts in wind shear while ascending from hotter air trapped near the ground to cooler air above.

The notion of seatbelts slowing you down in the event you need to evacuate has been largely debunked by industry experts,whereas during deceleration,turbulence and unpredictable conditions,a seatbelt could be life-saving.

According to Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations,which oversee the aviation safety framework in Australia,seatbelts must be worn by all crew members and passengers during various circumstances including take-off and landing,when the aircraft is flying at a height of less than 1000 feet (305 metres — though airlines will typically request passengers to buckle up much higher than this,once landing preparations begin),and at all times in turbulent conditions.

CASA rules state that seatbelts must be worn low and with no slack in the restraint,and pre-flight safety briefings must advise passengers of “the need to keep the seatbelt fastened while seated throughout the flight to prevent injury in the event of unanticipated turbulence encounters”.

Should seatbelts be made compulsory throughout flights? Merkert says there would be issues around enforcing the rule.

“Wearing a seatbelt is compulsory when driving a car for both driver and passengers,but a flight may take a lot longer than a car journey,and it may be impractical to wear a seatbelt all the time,” he says.

“Issues are around enforcing this without putting cabin crew at risk,what happens when people need to go to the toilet and turbulence hitting the aircraft unexpectedly. Common sense tells us to keep seatbelts loosely fastened at all times and I do think if everyone would do that,it would reduce the risk of injuries dramatically.”