Record level temperatures in US delays thousands of flights

Record temperatures in the United States have led to thousands of flight delays across the country, according to various US outlets.

8,300 flights were delayed across the US on Friday 14^th June followed by 2,500 flights on Monday 17^th June, according to Forbes.

Over 100 million Americans are under hot weather advisories, with the Northeast and Midwest experiencing record hot temperatures. Newark Airport experienced temperatures of 100°c in New Jersey on the 21^st June according to the NY Times.

63% of all flight delays in the United States are due to weather conditions according to analysis by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

There had been concerns that the hot weather would lead to flight cancellations.

In 2017, more than 40 flights were cancelled in Phoenix, Arizona following temperatures reaching 119°F.

The hot weather has an adverse effect on aircraft, with planes finding it harder to gain the necessary lift to take-off, due to the thin hot air having less density and pressure than cooler air.

Consequently, planes will produce less thrust when taking off and will need more speed to get in the air, therefore requiring more room on the runaway to reach the required speed.

In an extreme scenario, some airlines could impose luggage weight restrictions or reduce passenger numbers to lighten the loads to help the plane take-off, said an analyst speaking to Newsweek. There is no sign of this being pursued now.

This has left a situation where many planes are backed up on the tarmac waiting to take off, and in the case of long delays, many captains will turn the engines off.

For passengers, this creates a rather uncomfortable situation, as plane cooling systems work best when in flight, relying on the full power from jet engines. Once the engine is turned off, the systems can malfunction, meaning that passengers will be stuck on a delayed and rather hot flight!