Luton Airport runway meltdown shows airports vulnerable to climate change

The temporary disruption at London's Luton Airport on Monday when soaring temperatures caused a small section of the asphalt to lift is an example of the challenges airports face in making their infrastructure resilient to climate change, experts say. Below is an explanation of how global airports are coping with extreme heat and what may be needed to prevent future interruption from further heatwaves. The Luton runway was closed for nearly two hours on Monday, prompting airlines to delay or divert flights as temperatures rose above 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit), adding to industry headaches in what has been a chaotic summer travel season in Europe. A long-standing patch repair to a small section of the runway - the equivalent of 0.2% of the entire surface area - became so hot that it de-bonded and began to lift, a spokesperson for the airport said on Friday, adding it was repaired within two hours. It is built to the same specification as others in Britain, meeting industry safety standards and regulations, the spokesperson said. "We continue to evaluate all options regarding the ongoing maintenance and long-term resilience of all of our infrastructure." The spokesperson did not comment on questions about the timing of the runway's resurfacing, the type of asphalt used or any possible changes to the material. Runways are typically resurfaced every 10 to 15 years. Experts say the airport, one of Britain's busiest and used by budget airlines including Ryanair and EasyJetc, may be more vulnerable to heat because it is at a higher elevation than the others surrounding the capital: Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. Explainer has more.<br/>