Denver International Airport has been named the most turbulent airport in North America for approaches and descents, according to new rankings from turbulence monitoring website turbli.com. The Colorado hub tops the list, tied with Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana, both recording an average eddy dissipation rate (EDR) of 17.
The EDR scale, used by pilots and airlines, measures how quickly turbulence dissipates. Values of 0 to 20 are classed as 'light', while 20 to 40 is 'moderate' and can cause difficulty walking. The full top five includes Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, and Jackson Hole airports.
Other airports in the top ten include Vancouver, Las Vegas, Seattle, Reno, and Boise. The data, sourced from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Met Office, is the same used by airlines to plan flights.
The most turbulent route was found to be Denver to Jackson Hole, with an EDR of 18, followed by Albuquerque to Denver and Jackson to Salt Lake City. Globally, Santiago in Chile was the most turbulent airport, while the bumpiest route was Mendoza to Santiago.
Turbulence is caused by warm air rising through cooler air, mountains disrupting airflow, or air moving in different directions. Despite its reputation, modern aircraft are built to withstand far more turbulence than typically encountered. FAA data shows 184 serious turbulence injuries between 2009 and 2023, with 37 to passengers and the rest to crew.
