Confidential Human Factors
Incident Reporting Programme
The Charity
Aviation
Maritime
CC6930
Initial Report
I write this report to highlight a concern of mine with regards to my flight from {Airport A} to {Airport B}. Approximately 17:30 on the DD/MM/YY a government alert was sent to our crew devices advising us not to travel due to adverse weather caused by storm Eowyn. Upon checking the Company app, I could see that all flights from {Airport A} to {Airport B} from 08:00 onwards until 18:30 had been cancelled, however our flight departing before 08:00 was still on time. The early flight from {Airport C} and following flights were all also cancelled, as well as our link up to {Airport D} later in the day.
With this in mind, at pick up I again checked the status of our flight, it showed as running on time. Upon arriving at {Airport A} all flights apart from ours and one other to {Airport D} had been cancelled due to the building storm. This to me was a very telling sign as to how serious the storm was. We boarded and encountered a slot restriction by which point the wind had pushed close to the aircraft limits. Other aircraft were having rejected take offs due to the winds and multiple operators were cancelling flights.
It was decided that we would push back and wait for âa windowâ to take off. We eventually got airborne and thankfully safely made it to {Airport B}, with thanks to our pilots, who I have absolutely no doubts would keep us safe.
I do however want to highlight the unease of the situation we were all put in this morning. Iâm not questioning the safety of our flight as I have already stated that I have confidence in our pilots. However, potentially they could have been pressurised to depart. I do question why our flight was âpushedâ operationally to depart when others leaving at the same time, whether operated by us or other airlines from both {Airport A}Â and from other local airports were cancelled due to the same weather we were about to depart in.
Is it not operationally irresponsible to allow our customers to travel to the airport when government alerts advising against travel have been sent? On the note of government alerts, multiple customers received these whilst taxiing to the runway.
Company Comment
From an operational point of view, decisions about whether a flight can safely go ahead are always made using the most up-to-date information available and in line with our standard procedures. Each airline has its own set of guidelines, and weather conditions are carefully considered as part of that process.
When it comes to safety, we always operate our aircraft within the strict limits set by the manufacturerâthis includes factors like wind and other weather conditions. Our pilots are well-trained, regularly assessed, and fully prepared to operate safely in a wide range of situations, including strong winds.
We also understand that government travel advisories can raise concern. These advisories are issued based on a wide range of public safety factors and may not directly reflect whether it’s safe for an aircraft to operate. Since different aircraft have different performance limits, it’s possible for some flights to be cancelled while others can continue safely.
CAA Comment
Whilst ultimately the decision to continue, divert or terminate a flight rests with the Commander such a decision is often made based on information from a number of sources which may not always be evident to the cabin crew and may be perceived as commercial pressure.
CHIRP Comment
As we know, UK weather can be unpredictable and we can often experience 4 seasons in a single day. We appreciate why the reporter was concerned as the weather was atrocious and as the reporter mentions there was advice to simply not travel. However, not all passengers are local; some may have stayed overnight in airport hotels or arrived via connecting flights. It is not the role of the airline in this case to advise customers whether or not to travel. Rather, it is up to individuals to review the available guidance and make informed decisions accordingly.
Although this report raises concerns about the flight crew potentially feeling âpressurisedâ to depart, it also brings up an important discussion around resilience. There will always be pressures from various sources during a flight such as delays, full cabins, demanding passengers, operational constraints etc. What matters is how crew respond to these challenges, as this ultimately determines the end result and the amount of pressure experienced. This is often referred to as âperceived pressureâ.
As highlighted in previous CHIRP reports, pilots are highly trained professionals, regularly tested in simulated environments to ensure they can operate effectively under pressure. Flight crew use a wide range of information to make safe, informed decisions and behind the scenes, multiple teams are also working together to support operations and ensure the schedule runs as safely and efficiently as possible.