British Airways makes changes to flights after bugs cause cancellations

British Airways flights had to be canceled due to an insect infestation back in 2021 which also affected other airplanes.

Two flights were grounded at Heathrow Airport due to wasps and bees clogging pitot tubes between June 9 and July 19 2021, according to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

Pitot tubes are mounted near the nose of the airplane and measure the air force flowing through them as the aircraft moves through the atmosphere and are critical to ensuring proper air speed.

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Seven British Airways planes were affected while one Virgin Atlantic plane was affected.

During one British Airways flight which took place on June 9, the flight crew reported a “brief” smell of “burning hair” from the air conditioning ducts before the flight was stopped.

The report blamed a huge increase in bugs during the pandemic and the summer heat for causing the issues.

The report adds that “although some of these events came to light during maintenance activity, two resulted in aircraft aborting their take off and, as such, involved a higher risk”.

A spokesperson said that due to the “dramatically decreased aircraft movements, very low road traffic levels round the airport, and an overall reduction in human activity” meant that more insects, particularly bees and wasps, nested inside the clay pitot tubes.

However, the AAIB also said that this could be a more regular occurrence in the future as we move towards greener aviation.

The AAIB warned: “The high level of insect activity in 2021 could lead to a larger number of insects emerging in the spring of 2022. The seasonal risk of insects blocking pitot probes could be significant.

“Proactive habitat management and aircraft monitoring will be required to mitigate the risk. With the move towards ‘greener’ aviation, this may become even more important in the future.”

A British Airways spokesperson said: “Safety is always our highest priority and, like other operators, we put additional measures in place as detailed in the AAIB report.”

Virgin Atlantic have been contacted for comment.

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