Group of passengers removed from BA flight because plane was too heavy
The British Airways flight was heading to London City Airport from Florence in Italy (Picture: Shutterstock / Kevin Hackert)
Passengers on a British Airways flight to London were told a group of them would have to leave the plane before takeoff because it was too heavy.
In the end, 20 people were forced to disembark from the Embraer jet at Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci Airport ahead of the trip earlier this month.
But it was not the size of the passengers that was the main concern of the airline.
Instead, the decision to boot out a few travellers was taken due to the extreme heat in Tuscany when the plane was scheduled to depart.
As the temperature of the air above Florence increased to around 35°C on August 11, it became less dense.
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The shifting air pressure meant the aircraft required more fuel to do the same job – a necessity that added a significant amount of weight.
This situation was not helped by the short runway at the Florence airport, less than half the length of the runway at Gatwick.
A woman who was on the flight told the Sun: ‘The pilot said people had to get off because of the extreme heat.
‘It was around 35 degrees and they needed extra fuel for the engine to run effectively.
‘The staff said 36 would have to be unloaded but only about 20 people had to get off in the end.’
A spokesperson for BA apologised to the passengers who were affected.
They 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.’
Teams from the airline were ‘working hard’ to get those affected to their destination ‘as quickly as possible’, they added.
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