A BA transatlantic flight has hit subsonic speeds of 814mph after being propelled by jet stream winds from Storm Eowyn.
Passengers and crew on the British Airways flight 274 had 45 minutes shaved off from their journey from Las Vegas to Heathrow thanks to the strong gusts which reached near-record speeds.
The aircraft, an Airbus A350, came just 21mph short of beating the record for subsonic speed – which stands at 835mph.
The typical cruise speed is around 600mph.
The aircraft came just 21mph short of beating the record for subsonic speed
PA
The record speed was recorded in 2020 on a flight from New York to London, which lasted only four hours and 56 minutes.
The average journey duration for that trip is approximately seven hours.
Experts have said that this record could likely be beaten in the coming days thanks to powerful jet streams coming over from the Atlantic during Storm Eowyn.
Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said: “The jet stream in winter is often stronger, leading to more storms forming, and its position is often closer to the UK so those developing systems are directed towards our shores.
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Passengers and crew on the British Airways flight 274 had 45 minutes shaved off from their journey from Las Vegas to Heathrow
PA
“The subsonic speed record currently stands at 835mph, so that record could well be broken in the coming hours.”
As defined by the Met Office, a jet stream is a core of strong winds around five to seven miles above the Earth’s surface, blowing from west to east.
It causes changes to the wind and pressure, and as it affects things nearer the surface, it helps “shape the weather we see”.
Storm Eowyn is causing mass chaos across the UK with widespread travel disruptions and school closures, as the area covered by a red alert has been expanded.
Met Office red wind warnings are now in effect in Northern Ireland until 2pm on Friday and in western central and southern areas of Scotland until 5pm.
Winds of more than 100mph are set to pose a danger to life in parts of the UK. In Ireland, forecaster Met Eireann recorded gusts of 114mph, the fastest speed since records began.
Glasgow and Edinburgh airports saw dozens of flights cancelled in the morning due to bad weather conditions.
All trains in Scotland have been suspended and motorists in Northern Ireland have been advised not to drive unless absolutely essential.
Network Rail said it has taken “the difficult decision” to close the West Coast Main Line north of Preston and the East Coast Main Line north of Newcastle for much of Friday.
Passengers on the East Coast main line, which links London King’s Cross with northeast England and Scotland, will face disruption all weekend.
