Some 20 passengers were ordered to leave a British Airways flight before it could take off in “unique” circumstances.
Flyers had been hoping to depart Italian holiday hotspot Florence for London City Airport when their pilot intervened.
One traveller, a British mother, revealed how staff had demanded that 36 people leave the aircraft – though only 20 were eventually required to get off.
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“Staff said 36 would have to be unloaded but only about 20 people had to get off in the end,” she said.
The flyer continued: “The pilot said people had to get off because of the extreme heat.
The aircraft, a British Airways Embraer ERJ-190, needed extra fuel to push through to cruising altitude
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“It was around 35C and they needed extra fuel for the engine to run effectively.”
The extreme heat on the tarmac in Italy had left the plane too heavy to take off.
And the aircraft, a British Airways Embraer ERJ-190, needed extra fuel to push through to cruising altitude, with the temperature making the air less dense.
A short runway at Amerigo Vespucci airport, combined with the air conditions, meant the BA flight had to compensate for the extra fuel pumped aboard – with passengers forced to make way.
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20 passengers were ordered to leave a British Airways flight before it could take off from Florence
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British Airways went on to apologise to the evicted flyers.
A spokesman said: “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.”
In high temperatures like those in Florence, planes require longer take-off runs and may need to carry more fuel because their engines produce less power in hotter, less dense air.
BA said it worked hard to get its passengers to London City Airport (pictured) as soon as it could
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Hot air has less oxygen by volume, meaning fuel burns less efficiently, reducing an aircraft’s thrust.
As such, higher speeds and longer distances are needed to generate enough lift for takeoff.
This phenomenon is called “density altitude”.
A high density altitude almost “tricks” an aircraft into performing as if it were at a much higher altitude than in reality.
