Why Commercial Airplanes Avoid Flying Over Pacific Ocean

According to HPL magazine, commercial airlines avoid flying directly over the Pacific Ocean, instead opting for “curved” routes that hug land masses. Airplanes don’t fly over the Pacific Ocean because curved routes are shorter than straight routes. Flat maps are confusing because the Earth isn’t flat. As a result, straight routes don’t offer the shortest length between two points. Commercial airlines fly a northern curved route that goes over Canada and Alaska for emergency landings if needed. There is no place to land on the ocean.

Radar services are almost non-existent in the Pacific Ocean. So there is no mode with which the pilot can communicate with the ground. To fly at a safe distance, airplanes have to land in the lower part of the stratosphere where air turbulence is strong and oxygen level is low. This makes the maneuvering of the aircraft more difficult. Flying through a storm is usually not something a pilot will choose to do.

Jet streams are occurring around the earth, flowing from West to East due to the earth’s rotation. Flying into the jet stream slows the plane down significantly.

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