Will airplanes fly in high winds?

It can sometimes be too windy to take-off or land! The limitations are in place for the safety of the passengers and crew. In aviation, speed is measured in Knots (Nautical Miles Per Hour). This is converted to Miles Per Hour (mph) by multiplying it by 1.15. read more

British Airways trains its pilots to land in high winds every six months. Captain Dave Thomas, head of flight technical and training at the airline, says that the difficulty of landing in high winds depends on both wind speed and direction. In an ideal world, the pilot wants to land into the wind and in the centre of the runway. read more

As the other answers attest, aircraft can indeed fly in high winds. There are two significant issues, however. Crosswind take-offs and landings - Every airplane has a “Crosswind Component,” that airspeed and wind direction beyond which the pilot might have trouble keeping control of the aircraft on take-offs or landings. read more

Every airplane in the United States has been certified for a maximum crosswind component (which is a calculation involving the direction of the wind and speed -- e.g., a 50 knot headwind 5 degrees off the nose will be less of a crosswind component that a 90 degree crosswind at 20 knots). read more