As the busy summer travel season fast approaches next month, there's a high possibility of increased flight delays as climate scientists and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warn of how warmer days will see plenty more aircraft stranded on runways and taxiways as the heat will impact aircraft performances.

Rising temperatures present quite the problem

Besides sweating buckets and feeling like sticky glue all over, increasing temperatures throughout the summer season will see quite an unwelcome disruptive impact on the US aviation industry for several reasons.

Difficulty in generating lift

The hotter the air, the faster the atoms and molecules will move as they continue spreading out and rising. And as the hotter air expands and becomes less dense, the thinner air makes it harder for an aircraft to take-off unless more power is applied.

And according to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been days when a departure isn't even an option because the atmosphere is too heated - which is a phenomenon that climate experts and the administration have been monitoring very closely as temperatures continue rising at an alarming rate, more frequently than they ever did in the past.

A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200 on Los Angeles International Airport runway.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Spending additional on jet fuel

But when departures are still possible, increasing temperatures require more power from the engines to generate adequate lift for take-off, and airlines will require more fuel than what is traditionally required to lift the same amount of passengers and cargo for a routine flight.

Unfortunately, volatile fuel prices do significantly account for any airline's expenditure reports, as Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Aviation Administration, Tim Arel, explained:

"Aircraft operators then have to make the tough decision about uplifting more or fuel or proceeding with less fuel, such as flying shorter routes with less fuel. Regardless, the decision about fuel uplift is a real factor during the warmer months and does limit different types of operations at some places."

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A weighted issue

Should the airlines decide to uplift more fuel where and when they can, the amount of additional fuel calculated does awaken the possibility of airlines imposing a limit on the amount of luggage passengers can have or fewer cargo pieces are accepted for that specific flight.

Considering limiting how much luggage passengers can carry or rejecting cargo to make weight doesn't seem as viable for airline revenues, climate scientists and the Federal Aviation Administration hint that airports may need new and longer runways soon, such as those in hotter areas like Phoenix and parts of Texas.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport with United Airlines airplane
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Rare occurrences but not impossible

While the last scenario seems slightly absurd, all three are still highly possible despite rarely occurring. According to a Professor of Climate Dynamics at George Mason University, Dr. Jim Kinter, it's only a matter of time before rare becomes more common as he explains:

"Although temperatures have to reach sustained high levels like in the triple digits, and other factors like humidity must also be considered, all these projections are certainly likely to get more severe and common over time."

From Kinter and Arel's perspective, grounded planes on the taxiways and runways due to their inability to take-off might be the beginning. They could start happening more often as soon as even before this summer, with certain parts of the US already experiencing heat waves with record temperatures.

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Bottom line

Sweltering temperatures will likely be the least of any passenger's worries in the upcoming months. Airlines and airports will also have to worry about something else besides a staffing shortage, as the primary concern would very well be: will the aircraft be able to safely take off today, and if it does, at what additional cost?

Source: WTOP News