Korean Air will remove popular instant noodle cups from the airline’s economy menu to reduce the risk of burns during turbulence. Image source: Kentaro Iemoto, via Wikimedia Commons.
Shin Ramyun instant noodles will no longer be available for economy-class passengers on Korean Air, according to a company spokesperson.
The popular cup noodles will be removed from the in-flight snack service for economy passengers on 15 August.
Korean Air, a Seoul-based airline, stated that the decision was “part of proactive safety measures in response to increased turbulence, aimed at preventing burn accidents”.
While the economy menu will be providing snack options such as sandwiches, corn dogs, and hot pockets to replace instant noodles for passengers, the airline has stated that instant noodles will remain available for business- and first-class travellers.
Korean Air states that this is because instant noodles are brought individually to passengers in these seats, reducing spill risks and burn accidents.
Turbulence has become a growing issue in conversations about airlines, as the rates of turbulence on commercial flights rise, occasionally to dangerous levels.
There were two notable incidents in May involving dangerous turbulence that left multiple passengers injured and one instance of a fatality.
The airlines affected were Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways, and both instances occurred during meal service.
Korean Air has stated that instances of turbulence occurring on their flights has doubled since 2019.
The company has joined a turbulence real-time data exchange platform alongside 21 other airlines, such as Emirates and Westjet.
The platform was launched in 2020 and was created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents over 300 airlines.
Other measures that Korean Air has announced to tackle the risks of turbulence involve finishing long- and medium-haul cabin services 20 minutes earlier. This would end services 40 minutes prior to landing to diminish risks to passengers and crew.
Incidents of turbulence are expected to increase according to a 2017 study, which stated that climate change would cause clear-air turbulence to become more common throughout international airspace.
The study predicted that severe turbulence was likely to become two to three times more common by 2050-2080, particularly over the North Atlantic, North Pacific, North America, and Europe.
_(4197362948).jpg){kind=link}