An airplane is a means of transport that moves through the air; as such, its flight is influenced in various ways by the wind..
Much like a boat moving upstream, an airplane will take longer to cover a certain distance if it has to fly into a headwind; it will take less time if it flies with a "tailwind".
Air currents at high altitudes can be very strong—sometimes exceeding 200 km/h. Therefore, during flight planning, it is crucial to carefully choose the route and altitude to avoid a headwind or to take advantage of a tailwind.
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Wind also plays a decisive role during takeoff and landing. Contrary to what many people instinctively think, we always try to ensure that takeoff and landing occur into the wind (against the wind).
This is because an airplane's ability to support its weight in the air depends on its speed relative to the air it is moving through (airspeed), not its speed relative to the ground (ground speed). To use a theoretical extreme: if we needed a speed of 300 km/h to take off, and on that day we had a headwind of 300 km/h, we would technically take off vertically while standing still on the runway!
Taking off and landing with the wind "in your face" allows us to reduce the amount of runway space needed to perform the maneuver.
Sometimes it isn't possible to have the wind perfectly aligned with the runway. In these cases, the plane will fly slightly "sideways" (a maneuver called crabbing) until just before touching the ground, or it will "crab" laterally immediately after takeoff to maintain a straight ground track.
Every type of aircraft has maximum limits for crosswind (wind blowing from the side) for both takeoff and landing, as well as maximum limits for tailwinds. Beyond these limits—which also depend on runway conditions (dry, wet, etc.)—the airport is considered unsuitable, and it will be necessary to delay takeoff or, if arriving, divert to an alternate airport.
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