Summary
- Every aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight and a runway it needs to lift it.
- Fuel is weight: full tanks can mean fewer passengers or a longer runway.
- Hot days and high airports shrink what an aircraft can carry.
- Landing fees are billed on weight, so heavier types cost more on the ground.
A Gulfstream G550 can take off at just over 41 tonnes. Almost half of that can be fuel. The rest is the aircraft itself and, at the very end of the calculation, you. This ordering is the reason performance, not comfort, is the first thing a serious flight desk checks.
Fuel, people and runway are one budget
Long range means full tanks, full tanks mean weight, and weight means a longer runway. Fly the same aircraft from a 3,000 metre runway and from a 1,600 metre one and you get two different aircraft: the second may need to leave fuel, and therefore range, behind. That is why some resort airports quietly rule out heavy types on hot afternoons.
Hot and high
Air density falls with temperature and altitude. Engines produce less thrust and wings produce less lift. Saint Moritz, Aspen and a July afternoon in Olbia all bite into payload. A quote that looks at the calendar and the airport elevation is doing its job; one that does not is going to surprise you at the aircraft door.
| Condition | Effect |
|---|---|
| 15°C, sea level | Full fuel, full cabin |
| 32°C, sea level | Reduced fuel or one fewer passenger |
| 15°C, 1,700 m elevation | Reduced fuel |
| 32°C, 1,700 m elevation | Consider a lighter type or a fuel stop |
Weight is also a fee
Most European airports bill landing and parking on maximum takeoff weight. A heavy jet at Nice pays several times what a light jet pays for the same slot. If your party is four people, a heavy jet is not only more expensive to fly, it is more expensive to park.
Questions on this guide? The flight desk answers within the hour.
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