“Airlines produce their own performance charts for each airport they operate in, and there may be an upper limit to the outside temperature at which the range of performance data is calculated,” she said.
In June 2017, at least 50 regional flights on American Airlines were canceled due to temperatures of 119 degrees Celsius. Regional flights operated under the American Eagle name used Bombardier CRJ aircraft, which cannot fly in temperatures above 118 degrees Celsius.
The 2017 cancellation was the most recent of three flights canceled due to extreme heat in Sky Harbor’s history. The first time it happened was in 1990, When Phoenix hit an all-time high of 122 degreesIn 2013, the temperature reached 119 degrees Celsius.
Now near-record temperatures are returning. Phoenix hit a high of 119 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and the Bureau of Meteorology predicted another 119 degrees Celsius on Thursday and Friday.