Thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled in the UK due to bad weather at the end of 2024, and travelers may face further disruptions during wintry weather this weekend. Many find it puzzling that a short spell of foul weather can throw off airline schedules so severely. With technological advancements in planes and airports, why does this occur? BBC News reports that there are several reasons poor weather can create havoc on passengers and crew alike.
Elif Arjin Celik, who was scheduled to fly from London Gatwick to Istanbul, was one of hundreds who was caught off guard by the delay on December 28, 2024, due to poor visibility in the fog. During the airport’s busiest Christmas season since the pandemic began, scores of flights were halted, so she saw thousands of people waiting in the terminal with nowhere to rest. The fridges were empty, and restaurants struggled to seat people, she noted. That fog-related disruption continued for three days, affecting tens of thousands of Christmas travelers.
“Aircraft can operate safely in fog, but airports go into a kind of slow-motion,” said Simon Calder, a travel expert. “Aircraft follow a beam from the instrument landing system. This beam must not be broken, which could happen in fog.” High winds can necessitate more space between aircraft than usual, he said.
Although Heathrow tested artificial intelligence to assist planes in landing in low visibility, controllers in the towers on the ground still need to see an aircraft clearly before issuing a landing clearance, aviation expert Scott Bateman MBE wrote recently. The majority of modern aircraft can automatically land in the worst fog, but visibility limits are still imposed in practice so that pilots can see adequately to taxi off the runway, Bateman added.
With such little room for error, Calder estimates that around 75,000 people were affected by Christmas fog disruptions and cancellations. Among other factors, such as snow and rain becoming more intense due to climate change, there’s likely to be more disruption from weather with climate change
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