Weather reasons for flight delays
At present, the explanation of civil aviation for the delay caused by bad weather is that the weather can not meet the flight standards and can not take off on time. General civil aviation service personnel often don't know exactly the impact of bad weather on flights like passengers. From the passenger's point of view: bad weather means strong wind, heavy rain and fog, planes may not be able to take off and land, and flights may be delayed. However, this understanding is one-sided and will lead to many misunderstandings. Think that civil aviation is deceptive, especially some flights can go and some can't.
The simple word "weather reason" actually contains many situations: the weather conditions at the departure airport are not suitable for take-off; The weather conditions at the destination airport are not suitable for landing; The meteorological conditions of flight routes are not suitable for flying over and so on.
In order to ensure flight safety, there are many meteorological standards for flight, take-off and landing. Here, first introduce where the weather conditions affect a flight, which will help you understand:
-Weather conditions at the departure airport (visibility, low-level clouds, thunderstorm area, strong crosswind)
-Weather conditions at the destination airport (visibility, low-level clouds, thunderstorm area, strong crosswind)
-Meteorological conditions on the flight route (high-altitude thunderstorm area)
-Unit status (technical level of the unit, analyzing and mastering the current weather and trends to make professional decisions)
-the condition of the aircraft (the aircraft's safety standards for meteorological conditions and the failure of some airborne equipment on the premise of safety make the aircraft unsuitable for flying in such weather conditions)
-Subsequent situations caused by bad weather (mostly damage to airport navigation facilities and substandard runways, such as serious icing and water accumulation)
Question 1: The city where the destination airport is located has good weather conditions and good visibility. Why is it still delayed because of the weather?
A: The weather in the destination city is good. There is no heavy rain or strong wind. The passengers are puzzled, and it is still delayed. Just because the weather in the city where the destination airport is located is good does not mean that the airport is suitable for plane landing. Low clouds and thunderstorms cover the airport take-off and landing passages, which is a common factor leading to this delay.
Knowledge points: In order to ensure flight safety, even if the plane is in the automatic landing state, the pilot must be able to see the runway and the ground completely at a certain height (generally 60 meters) before landing. If you can't see the runway at this time, you are not allowed to land.
Question 2: The city where the destination airport is located has good weather conditions and good visibility, and the airport is also taking off and landing normally. Why is it still delayed because of the weather?
A: This situation is often because the meteorological conditions of flight routes are not suitable for flying over, such as thunderstorm areas. In this case, the plane often has to wait on the ground.
Knowledge points: once there is a thunderstorm area on a narrow route, in some cases, it can bypass the thunderstorm area. However, due to flight safety and national defense needs, civil aviation routes are strictly restricted, and there is little room for flight and maneuver. When the thunderstorm area is large, this method will not work.
Question 3: Why are some flights to a certain place available, while others are told that they can't because of the weather?
A: There are many possibilities for this situation. First of all, it must be clear that the standard of aircraft take-off and landing is related to the model.
The specific safety standards set by airlines for the same aircraft may also be different, and the captain's decision on the current weather and trends will also be different. It depends on the captain's decision after judging the state of the plane, airport, weather, etc. The Civil Aviation Law stipulates that "if the civil aircraft, airport and meteorological conditions are found not to meet the requirements and flight safety cannot be guaranteed, the pilot-in-command has the right to refuse to fly".
Question 4: Why didn't you tell me that I couldn't land at the destination airport because of the weather, and I had to alternate to other airports or return, and some planes could land normally?
A: Although the meteorological department of civil aviation relies on advanced equipment to continuously issue more accurate weather trend forecasts to facilitate flight operation and scheduling, the weather conditions are constantly changing and it is difficult to accurately judge. This will lead to a sudden deterioration of weather conditions when landing, resulting in the inability of the plane to land. For safety reasons or fuel shortage, the plane will have to alternate to other airports.
The weather is constantly changing, and it may be bad weather for a short time. Five minutes ago, the weather allowed the plane to land, five minutes later, and your plane just caught up with the bad weather conditions and could not land. This is a very common phenomenon. At the same time, as mentioned above, when the weather is on the edge of the standard, it is up to the captain to decide whether to land. The captain thinks that the weather is not suitable for landing at other airports or returning to other airports, and should absolutely support it.
When the flight is delayed due to weather, passengers should pay attention to the following points:
The weather reason not only refers to the weather conditions in the city where the destination airport is located. Aircraft take-off and landing are not afraid of strong winds and heavy rain. The key meteorological factors are visibility, low clouds near the airport take-off and landing passages, and strong crosswinds. It is normal for your flight to be delayed due to the weather.