The Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced today, August 7, 2025, that it has become the first global airline to adopt an innovative turbulence forecasting service based on artificial intelligence. The technology, developed by the specialized company BlueWX, represents a significant advancement for aviation safety and passenger comfort, addressing the growing concern over turbulence phenomena, exacerbated by global warming. The adoption of the system follows several years of rigorous testing involving 2,500 ANA pilots, “who confirmed its reliability and superior effectiveness compared to traditional methods", according to a statement. The predictive model, which leverages deep learning techniques and a decade of historical data, demonstrated an 86% accuracy in identifying turbulent areas.

“For airlines, turbulence forecasting has long been a challenge", said Hiroyuki Kometani, Executive Vice President of ANA’s Operations Division. “In collaboration with BlueWX, we have successfully developed this capability using the latest artificial intelligence techniques". The technology arrives timely as the issue is highly pertinent: according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), turbulence accounts for between 30% and 50% of all aviation incidents, in addition to causing economic losses from damage to cargo and equipment as well as delays due to unscheduled inspections.

BlueWX was established in July 2023 from a collaboration between ANA and Keio University, stemming from a research initiative launched in 2019. The company has already announced its intention to expand the distribution of its system to other airlines and global partners. Looking forward, the company is already working on the development of new predictive models for wind speed and direction, aiming to optimize flight routes and support the aviation industry in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.