ANIAircraft determine the required runway length for take-off by calculating the distance needed to reach the speed required to lift and then accelerate to take-off. Additional factors such as weight, altitude, temperature, runway conditions, and wind also impact the requirement.
Data from a flight tracking website shows that AI171 departed using the full length of Runway 23 at Ahmedabad, which is around 3,500 metres long.
The aircraft backtracked to the end of the runway before accelerating.
In hot weather, like it was in Ahmedabad on Thursday (37 degrees Celsius), there could be a requirement for more length as warmer air is less dense, resulting in reduced lift and thrust, requiring the aircraft to use the full runway length.
A Boeing 787-8 aircraft - the type that crashed on Thursday - typically requires 2,538 metres of runway length, pilots said.
Data from a flight tracking website shows that AI171 departed using the full length of Runway 23 at Ahmedabad, which is around 3,500 metres long.
The aircraft backtracked to the end of the runway before accelerating.
Backtracking refers to an aircraft taxiing on a runway in the opposite direction of its intended take-off and is commonly done when the plane needs to use the entire runway length for take-off.
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In hot weather, like it was in Ahmedabad on Thursday (37 degrees Celsius), there could be a requirement for more length as warmer air is less dense, resulting in reduced lift and thrust, requiring the aircraft to use the full runway length.