Can planes land in freezing rain?

Generally airline and passenger/freight carrying operations are suspended during periods of freezing rain. Even without being prohibited by the operators manual, operations in freezing rain are difficult as the applicable Hold-Over Time from an anti-icing treatment is very limiting in freezing rain.



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Weather Conditions: While landing in snowy conditions is possible, strong winds or low temperatures can make it more difficult or even impossible for some aircraft to land safely.

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“Jet fuel begins to gel in extreme conditions and does eventually freeze, typically at minus 40 or so, although additives can be included that reduce that further,” says Haines. “Aircraft at cruising altitude will often experience temperatures of minus 50 to minus 70 F for hours on end.”

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If you have a temperature of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you should avoid flying and traveling. Flying can intensify your fever making it more dangerous for you, but it's also a danger for the people around you.

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Flights may be canceled due to wind, precipitation, fog or low visibility, lightning, low clouds, or storms.

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Flying through this condition in a modern airliner with good de-icing equipment is safe. However, when the airplane is on the ground, a layer of ice can form on the airplane that may make it impossible to take off.

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Techincally, there is only one way for the aircraft to remain hanging motionless in the air: if weight and lift cancel each other out perfectly, and at the same time thrust and drag cancel each other out too. But this is incredibly rare. To stay in the air and sustain its flight, an aircraft needs to be moving forward.

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With this in mind, horizontal winds (also known as “crosswinds”) in excess of 30-35 kts (about 34-40 mph) are generally prohibitive of take-off and landing. As far as how this happens, it depends on where you are in flight.

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