Flying through storms always sounds a bit dramatic, doesn’t it? I’ll admit, I had some of those thoughts too when I learned I’d be flying in and out of Vienna during Storm Boris. Gusty winds, potential delays, and the mental image of dodging clouds were on my mind. But here’s the kicker—it wasn’t all that dramatic after all.
Getting there: Delayed, of course
My flight to Vienna didn’t exactly kick off with the smoothest start. Due to Storm Boris stirring things up, the airport was running at reduced capacity and the aircraft arrived from Vienna late and did leave Frankfurt even later. Remember, in Europe, the rule is that you don’t depart an airport as long as there is no capacity along the route and at the destination for you, trying to avoid waiting in the air, flying into holding patterns.
It was quite a a smooth flight but as the storm was doing it thing close to the airport, we had to wait nevertheless and the Captain even announced that we had to go into a holding pattern. The wait was quite short though holding pattern, which, by the way, resulted more to like a Bretzel in the sky (I’ve got a screenshot to prove it) rather than your usual racetrack. Somehow, very Austrian…
Why the delay? Reduced capacity because of strong winds
The winds were blowing strong from the northwest, which meant Vienna’s runway operations were limited to just runway 29. Normally, Vienna would also use runway 16/34, but high crosswinds made those unusable. And with only one runway handling both arrivals and departures, things got backed up.
It wasn’t just the runway limitations, though. Air traffic control had to reduce arrival capacity to account for possible go-arounds due to gusty winds. Every go-around means one more unplanned landing and this must be accounted for.
The winds were strong, and with each aircraft moving a bit slower than usual with reference to the ground as they approached the runway, ATC had to this into account: slower ground speed = fewer planes landing per hour = more delays. Fun times.
On the upside, landing wasn’t as bumpy as I expected. There wasn’t much turbulence, and the rain wasn’t a problem at all. Thankfully, Vienna Airport didn’t get hit with any flooding, so at least we didn’t have to worry about waterlogged runways.
Taking off was more fun than I expected
Now, for the return flight. Delayed again? Of course. But taking off during high winds does have its perks. The strong headwinds reduced the ground-roll distance significantly. We were up in the air faster than I anticipated, and the climb rate was pretty impressive.
If you’re expecting tales of turbulent skies and dramatic in-flight experiences, you’ll be disappointed. Despite the wild weather and all the fuss on the ground, the actual flights themselves were remarkably smooth and uneventful. I guess I should be thankful for that.
Unspectacular, but an experience nonetheless
Flying in and out of Vienna during a storm sounds like the stuff of action movies, but in reality? It was more like waiting in line for your favorite amusement park ride—lots of delays and anticipation, only to find out the ride was much smoother than you thought it would be.
In the end, despite all the delays and wind-induced dramas on the ground, it was just another day in the life of aviation. A delayed departure, a holding pattern that looks like a sky Bretzel, and a headwind-fueled takeoff—nothing to write home about, but definitely something to share with you all.
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