The result is that unplanned diversions often happen late in flight, which is likely to mean burning more fuel. If storm delays do become more common, says Andrew Charlton, then aircraft will have to load more fuel as a matter of course, in case there is trouble brewing ahead. “Aircraft are going to have to fly further, and they’re going to have to factor in the assumption they’re going to fly further,” he says. For an airline, fuel is one of its major costs – and if the fuel bill goes up, he says, it is inevitable passengers will pay more.
