Extreme heat makes flying harder. Airlines and airports say they aren't sweating it.
The aviation industry is adjusting to record passenger volumes and record temperatures simultaneously.
It’s been another summer of record-smashing temperatures and record-smashing air travel. Airports and airlines say they can handle both.
U.S. airlines expect to transport 271 million passengers worldwide this summer, up 6.3% from last season, the Airlines for America trade group has projected. Carriers have added flights and seats — in some cases too many — to accommodate the uptick. It comes in a year when the Earth notched its hottest June ever, and as last week saw two days in a row break planetary heat records.
Nevertheless, the aviation industry is adjusting to “a new normal” of scorching temperatures during the busy summer travel period, said Kevin Burke, president and CEO at Airports Council International–North America. So far, airports have managed “to adapt to these conditions” by working with airlines to tackle safety risks and operational challenges, he said.
A heat wave affected flights in Hanover, Germany, in 2018.Peter Steffen / picture alliance via Getty ImageThe U.S. Department of Transportation tracks “extreme weather” delays caused by conditions like tornadoes, blizzards or hurricanes but not those due to heat. And while the share of delay minutes caused by weather overall has declined in the last few decades, heat-related snags have been on display in recent years.
In July 2022, a scorching heat wave in Europe caused runway damage at London’s Luton Airport, briefly suspending flights. In June the year before, Alaska Airlines canceled and delayed flights due to record-breaking heat that had raised tarmac temperatures to 130 degrees Fahrenheit in Seattle and Portland and affected operations in California, Texas, Arizona and Louisiana. Ground crews were offered opportunities to take breaks in air-conditioned “cool down vans.”
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