In an unusual incident, 20 passengers were asked to disembark a British Airways flight from Florence to London due to extreme heat conditions in Italy. The high temperatures affected air density, requiring more fuel for takeoff on the short runway. British Airways apologized for the inconvenience, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on air travel.
20 Passengers Removed from Flight Due to Extreme Heat
20 Passengers Removed from Flight Due to Extreme Heat
20 passengers were forced to leave the aircraft. The reason: extreme heat, reports Mirror. "We apologize for the inconvenience," says the airline's spokesperson.
On August 11, a British Airways flight was scheduled to fly from Florence, Italy, to London, England.
The problem was the extreme heat in Italy at the time, which made the air less dense and meant the plane needed more fuel to reach cruising altitude. The issue was exacerbated by the airport's relatively short runway.
The plane was too heavy to take off safely. The crew's solution was frustrating for the passengers.
"The pilot said people had to get off because of the extreme heat. It was around 35 degrees, and they needed extra fuel for the engine to work efficiently. The staff said 36 people would need to disembark, but in the end, only about 20 did," says a woman who was a passenger on the plane.
Airline: We Apologize
British Airways has apologized to the affected passengers.
"Due to the unique conditions of the airport with a short runway, extreme temperatures affect air pressure, so the aircraft's weight must be reduced. We apologize for the inconvenience. Our teams worked hard to get passengers to their destination as quickly as possible," says a spokesperson.
An aviation expert claims that incidents of this type will become more common due to climate change.
"Hot summer days when smaller airports need to reduce weight will become more common. Conditions that previously occurred one day per summer may occur three or four days a week by the 2060s. Flying to Spain, Italy, or Greece may become more expensive when flights have to take fewer passengers due to climate change," says Dr. Jonny Williams, an aviation expert at the University of Reading, to The Sun.