Twenty passengers were forced to get off a British Airways flight because the aircraft was too heavy for take-off, caused by the extreme heat in Italy.
The intense heat resulted in less dense air requiring more fuel for the plane to reach cruising altitude.
The BA Embraer ERJ-190 was set to depart from Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci airport to London City.
The situation on August 11 was exacerbated by the airport’s short runway, which is half the length of Gatwick’s.
A mother on the affected flight said: “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 run effectively.
“The staff said 36 would have to be unloaded but only about 20 people had to get off in the end.” In a separate incident a Ryanair flight had to be grounded at Manchester Airport after a passenger tried to ‘open an emergency exit’ mid-air, according to a witness on the plane.
British Airways extended their apologies to the affected passengers, reports the Mirror.
A spokesperson stated: “Due to the unique nature of the airfield with its short runway, extreme temperatures affect air pressure, so aircraft weight must be reduced.
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience. Our teams worked hard to get passengers to their destination as quickly as possible.”
As reported in The Sun, Dr Jonny Williams, an aviation expert at the University of Reading, warned: “Hot summer days when smaller airports have to reduce their weight will get more common.
“Conditions which used to happen about one day in a summer may happen three or four days a week by the 2060s.
“Flying to Spain, Italy, or Greece could get more expensive as flights carry fewer people due to climate change.” [Wales Online]
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