Introduction
Meteorological hazards, such as floods, storms, earthquakes, and rising seas, can endanger lives and have a negative impact on economies. Such events as wind, shear, turbulence, and severe thunderstorms are particularly harmful to aviation. For example, according to Goodman (2019, p. 479), “weather was responsible for 32.6% of the total number of delay minutes recorded” in the US. In the paper, the impact of the most adverse meteorological hazards is determined, which is linked to construction and financial losses, which prediction methods and alternative transportation should prevent.
Prevalence of Meteorological Hazards in Aviation
Weather is among the most important factors influencing how an airplane operates and how securely it can fly. Downpours, thunderstorms, windstorms, and cyclones seem to be prevalent, resulting in expenses in the aviation business and flights that are either delayed or canceled (Oo & Oo, 2022). The researchers discovered that thunderstorms, rain, and fog occur the most frequently (Oo & Oo, 2022; Wang, 2019). For example, thunderstorms occurred with a maximum frequency of 22% in July and a low of 1% in January (Oo & Oo, 2022, p. 3). Annual frequency research found that thunderstorms are becoming more prevalent yearly due to worldwide climate change (Oo & Oo, 2022). The coastal regions are more prone to rain and thunderstorms, but the systems in the continental areas are more sensitive to snowstorms (Wang, 2019). The worst weather phenomena include poor vision, low ceilings, and rainstorm and fog weather conditions. The impacts of considerable flight icing or in-flight disturbance are among the most severe risks to an aircraft. According to accident records, these incidents might be caused by a thunderstorm’s immediate or indirect influence.
The Impact of Meteorological Hazards in Aviation
Meteorological hazards can cause significant delays in air transportation, resulting in the canceling or postponing tens of thousands of flights and disrupting the plans and finances of millions of individuals. Furthermore, poor weather conditions may result in a plane crash. As a result, some of the adverse effects of hazards include loss of aerodynamic forces and velocity, causing the aircraft to crash into the earth before the flight staff takes corrective measures (Zhou & Chen, 2020). Next, turbulence, particularly in a small airplane, causes structural failure to the aircraft. Low visibility causes flight cancellations, fuel waste since planes cannot land at their intended location, aircraft damage in midair crashes, and deaths resulting from aircraft casualties (Zhou & Chen, 2020). The damage produced by these events sometimes necessitates costly repairs or entire equipment replacement.
Recommendation and Limitations
One can recommend several enhancements in the aviation industry to prevent cancellations, accidents, and economic losses. As such, aviation weather predictions must also be produced in order to give precise information that incorporates both predictable and statistical methodologies (2019, Sharman et al.). The studies reveal that modal replacement is a successful transportation system resilience approach. Namely, the restoration speed of air service was shown to be quicker if an alternate mode, including such high-speed rail service, was also available nearby (Zhou and Chen, 2020). Hence, it is suggested that for intense awareness campaigns, aviation safety stakeholders propose better prediction methods and the construction of alternative transportation. However, the initiative’s limitations might involve the aviation companies’ financial incapacities to follow the guidelines.
Conclusion
To conclude, the paper has examined the meteorological hazards linking them to the recommendations for the aviation industry, including financial limitations. Shifting climatic and meteorological circumstances substantially influence airport aircraft performance, which cannot be avoided. As a result, until new solutions are developed, the influence of weather on aircraft is expected to grow throughout time. Hence, designing and implementing prediction strategies and employing alternative transportation is essential.
References
Goodman, C. J. (2019). Meteorological impacts on commercial aviation delays and cancellations in the continental United States. AMETSOC. Web.
Oo, K. T., & Oo, K. L. (2022, April 15). Analysis of the most common aviation weather hazard and its key mechanisms over the Yangon flight information region. Advances in Meteorology, 2022, 1–15.
Sharman, R., Williams, P. D., Zhou, B., Ellrod, G., Minnis, P., Trier, S., Griffin, S., Yum, S. S., Gharabaghi, B., Feltz, W., Temimi, M., Pu, Z., Storer, L. N., Kneringer, P., Weston, M. J., Chuang, H. Y., Thobois, L., Dimri, A. P., Dietz, S. J.,… Neto, F. L. A. (2019, May). A Review of high impact weather for aviation meteorology. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 176(5), 1869–1921.
Wang, Y. (2019). Impacts of severe weather events on high-speed rail and aviation delays. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 69, 168–183. Web.
Zhou, L., & Chen, Z. (2020). Measuring the performance of airport resilience to severe weather events. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 83, 102362. Web.