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Why Climate Change Could Mean More Delayed Flights 

    No one enjoys a delayed flight, but as our weather gets warmer, we can expect more of them.

    That's according to experts, who say that the heat of the summer might cause more delays.

    Bloomberg looked at US data for flight delays at airports in Chicago and New York from June to August in 2022 and from January to March in 2023. It found that there were more delayed flights in the summer months at both airports. 

    When the temperature rises above 39 degrees Celsius, things get very difficult for airlines, Bijan Vasigh, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the US, told Bloomberg.

    The air is thinner when it gets hot and that makes it harder for planes to take off. In thinner air there is not as much lift, so more power is needed.

    When they need more power, it helps to have a lighter airplane.

    That might mean pilots have to make last-minute decisions to reduce the weight on board by dumping fuel, passengers or baggage — meaning the plane will probably be delayed.

    The problem gets worse at airports that are at a higher altitude where the air is already thinner, and at airports with short runways, since planes need more space to get up to a high speed.

    But thin air is not the only problem. Smoke from wildfires — that have been happening all around the world in the summer of 2023 — can also cause flights to be delayed and canceled.    

    Of course, the summer is also a busy time when millions of people fly, and weather is not the only cause of delays — but our hotter climate doesn't seem to be helping.

Internet: Engoo