Climate change: The black elephant in the airline cabin

Even before Covid-19, few business people would have been unaware of what has become known as “black swan” events: an event or occurrence that deviates markedly from what is normally expected or planned for and is extremely difficult to anticipate and adapt to. After Covid-19, a variation on this metaphor has also entered the lexicon: “black elephant” events. A variation on the phrase, “the elephant in the room”, black elephant events arrive with all the unanticipated disruption and impact of a black swan event, but the contributing elements of which have been hiding in plain sight long before the major disruption occurs.

This article focusses on how one known feature of climate change, hiding in plain sight – increasing wind speeds – will impact on air travel, based on what is already established about how the environment is changing.