Why do planes have to travel more than 10,000 meters?

The Burj Khalifa (Dubai), the tallest building in the world, is less than 830 meters tall. The most impressive mountain, Everest, reaches 8848 meters above sea level. If we think about it, it is still much more "close" to the height that planes have to reach to fly, between 10,000 and 12,000 meters. But the question that always arises is: what is the point of having to take a plane at that particular height? There are three causes related to the factors of greatest concern to airlines: profits and safety.

Every meter that we climb from the surface, the air layer is thinner. That is, there is less oxygen. If a mountaineer needs oxygen tanks to reach a peak of 4,000 meters, three times that height would be much more. Between 10,500 and 12,000 meters above sea level, planes have less resistance to air, can travel faster and therefore consume less fuel. The more you save, the better the business of everyone. In addition, the engines of commercial aircraft are turbojets, which are more powerful because they are less resistant to air. But they also need atmospheric oxygen to maintain combustion. Exceeding 12,000 meters would therefore compromise the efficiency of the turbines.

The second reason is related to security. Or rather, with the tranquility of the pbadengers. Most atmospheric phenomena (rain, lightning, wind, hail, dense clouds) occur in the troposphere, the atmospheric layer extending from the surface to 10 900 meters. Although a plane can weather storms and withstand winds, it is not free: turbulence generates a lot of fear and complicates operations. Therefore, the best prevention is to avoid these climatic disturbances and to fly over them. In addition, at this height, no bird can hit the plane. This is a common problem during take-offs and landings, which can cause several accidents.

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