If you’ve flown with Russian passengers, you’ve probably noticed them clapping as soon as the plane lands. This habit surprises many foreigners. Indeed, Russians applaud on planes for almost every landing, regardless of difficulty.
Russians have other unusual customs too. They celebrate the New Year twice, congratulate each other after showers, smoke under “No Smoking” signs, and eat ice cream in winter. Similarly, their habit of clapping on planes stands out.
Unlike Europeans, who usually clap only after a tough flight or a tricky landing, Russians clap in nearly every situation. As long as the aircraft lands safely, applause is almost guaranteed.
This tradition seems silly and a little odd. And some people wonder: Why do it in the first place? You wouldn’t applaud a bus driver who has delivered you to your destination. What’s the difference?”
Theory 1: It caught on from the West
The first thing that civil aviation pilots will say is that “it’s not the Russians who have taught the rest of the world to applaud; the West started doing it first.” Russians started traveling abroad en masse only after the fall of the Iron Curtain in the nineties. There, they saw clapping Europeans on flights (Italians are the main suspects) and decided it was right.
While many Europeans have already overcome the custom and applaud only after landing in difficult conditions, Russians burst into ovation even after an easy flight. For them, it’s rather like saying “thank you” to the chef in a restaurant.
Although the pilots do not hear the applause – they are separated from the cabin by an armored door – the cabin crew will tell them about it.
Theory 2: People are stressed
Russians are not known for being particularly prone to aerophobia. Still, they are often “people under stress,” and for them, letting off steam is the best way to deal with this, says psychologist Tatiana Volkova, who works with people suffering from aerophobia. “This explanation is supported by the observation that people who applaud most often are passengers on charter flights. Charter flights are mainly used by people who fly on holiday once or twice a year, and as a result, feel very nervous about flying because they are not used to it,” she says.
Not to mention that on almost every flight, a “cheerleader” triggers the clapping. Perhaps this is the person “under stress.”
Theory 3: Availability of information about air crashes
Another theory suggests that Russians clap to celebrate surviving the flight. Until the late eighties and early nineties, news of plane crashes was rarely shared on TV or in newspapers. After Glasnost, air travel risks became more widely known. Consequently, many Russians now applaud on planes to express relief and joy at landing safely.
Despite the statistics on transport-related fatalities (airplanes are the safest), most Russians, if possible, prefer a different form of transport. A total of 69 percent of Russians have not traveled by air at all in the past two or three years (2016 data).
Theory 4: Cinema is to blame
The 1974 Soviet-Italian film Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia became a hit in the USSR. One chaotic scene shows an airliner landing on a busy highway with cars passing by. Since then, the line “Bravo to the Russian pilot” has stuck in viewers’ memories. As a result, some passengers now loudly recite it when a plane lands.
Theory 5: It’s all down to the ‘Russian mentality.’
The “Russian mentality” might be to blame. “We are fond of and used to celebrating even small events, while Europeans regard flights as something more routine,” some passengers believe.
What surprises many is that Russians feel safe only after the plane lands. Terra firma gives them calm and security. Therefore, it’s no wonder that Russians applaud on airplanes and even jump up to unload overhead lockers as soon as the wheels touch the tarmac. Clearly, landing marks the true relief of the flight for them.
