It’s not uncommon for flight passengers to complain that their overweight luggage won’t cause a problem for the aircraft, but on August 11, a British Airways flight was forced to disembark 20 passengers due to the plane becoming too heavy.
The BA Embraer ERJ-190 was scheduled to fly from Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci airport in Italy to London City Airport in England when a change in weather caused an issue. Multiple passengers were asked to leave the aircraft due to “extreme temperatures affecting air pressure.”
“Due to the unique nature of the airfield with a short runway, extreme temperatures affect air pressure, so aircraft weight must be reduced,” said the airline in an official statement. “We’re sorry for the inconvenience this caused our customers, and our teams worked hard to get them to their destination as quickly as possible.”
According to reports, the weather in Florence had risen to 35°C (95°F), causing the plane to become “less dense.” As a result, the aircraft needed to take on more fuel to reach the needed cruising altitude. More fuel meant more weight to the aircraft that wasn’t accounted for. The situation was also worsened due to the airport’s short runway.
A passenger told The Sun that they were told to get off due to “extreme heat” and “they needed extra fuel for the engine to run effectively.”
The passenger revealed the staff originally said 36 passengers had to be unloaded from the plane, but only 20 ended up getting off. British Airways commented to People that the passengers who got off the plane were immediately booked on the next available flight. As well as given hotel accommodations and transportation.
University of Reading aviation expert Dr Jonny Williams explains that smaller airports will see an increase in reducing weight on aircrafts due to hotter summer weather. Something that happened rarely will become more common due to climate change.
