The Cost of Weather-Related Flight Cancellations and Delays for Airlines
For airlines, knowing the weather and making decisions accordingly is crucial. Many airlines suffer millions of dollars in losses annually due to weather-related flight cancellations and delays. According to a study, in 2022, 38.65% of delayed flights in the United States were weather-related, with a total of 40,087 delayed flights. Weather-related cancellations accounted for 2.36% of all canceled flights, totaling 21,285. The average cost to airlines for postponing a weather-related flight is $22,728, and the cost for a one-minute delay is approximately $101, with an average delay time of 54 minutes. In light of this information, the total loss to U.S. airlines from weather-related issues in 2022 was calculated to be $702 million.
Weather-Related Issues Beyond Cancellations and Delays
Weather-related problems do not only affect airlines through cancellations and delays. Weather conditions can jeopardize flight safety. Severe turbulence caused by storms or turbulent atmospheric events can lead to injuries among passengers and crew. Additionally, low visibility conditions such as fog, heavy rain, or snow create additional complications for pilots. These situations pose risks during takeoff and landing operations, making weather intelligence critical for ensuring passenger safety by improving decision-making processes.
Weather conditions also impact operational efficiency. Severe weather or natural events can lead to unexpected airspace closures imposed by authorities, resulting in detours, cancellations, or time-consuming reroutes, thereby increasing fuel consumption rates. This affects both employees and passengers directly.
Unpredictable weather also negatively affects the overall customer experience. Passengers missing their connections or facing potential cancellations due to delayed flights directly impact satisfaction levels and brand perception. For more detailed information, you can check our article on Weather Intelligence for Aviation.
Specialized Weather Intelligence for Aviation
Artificial intelligence-supported weather forecasting analyzes historical climate records, wind speeds, outside temperatures, and real-time atmospheric observations along with aviation-related information, identifying specific patterns associated with different weather events. Weather intelligence combines advanced machine learning models that continuously learn from current data and improve forecasting capabilities over time with a high-resolution numerical weather forecasting model tailored for airports. This integration can provide higher accuracy predictions for local events such as runway conditions during adverse weather. Integrating AI into meteorology for aviation purposes is no longer a luxury but a necessity for enhancing safety procedures, increasing operational efficiency, and minimizing environmental impacts.
Buluttan Weather Intelligence: A Necessity, Not a Luxury for the Aviation Sector
With the high accuracy and resolution of hyper-local weather forecasts provided by Buluttan Weather Intelligence, airports can access reliable and timely meteorological information. Models with resolutions up to 100m ensure that your assets and team are more protected than ever against unexpected weather events.
With Buluttan API, the meteorological parameters you need can be provided to you at regular intervals. You can also verify an extreme weather event that occurred in any accident involving insured goods.
Buluttan SkyWatch allows your field team to access a web-based and mobile-compatible severe weather control panel while managing field operations. Through this panel, they can observe weather risks in real-time at a hyper-local scale, understand where, when, and how severe the risks will be, monitor real-time radar images, and adjust operations accordingly to prevent future extreme weather events.
Buluttan Map Layer enables both your drivers and dispatchers to receive real-time notifications about weather risks along their routes during logistics operations, allowing for proactive approaches to be developed in response to these risks.
