UK's Luton airport halts flights as heat causes runway defect
The UK's London Luton airport suspended flights on Monday after soaring temperatures caused a defect in its runway, prompting airlines to delay or divert their planes. The temperature rose above 37C (98.6 Fahrenheit) in parts of England on Monday, and was forecast to hit new record highs above 38.7C on either Monday or Tuesday.
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The UK's London Luton airport suspended flights on Monday after soaring temperatures caused a defect in its runway, prompting airlines to delay or divert their planes.
The temperature rose above 37C (98.6 Fahrenheit) in parts of England on Monday, and was forecast to hit new record highs above 38.7C on either Monday or Tuesday. Much of Europe has also been baking in a heatwave. "Flights are temporarily suspended to allow for an essential runway repair after high surface temperatures caused a small section to lift. Engineers are currently on site and we hope to resume operations shortly," the airport said in a post on Twitter.
The airport, located around 35 miles north of central London, is used by airlines including EasyJet, Wizz Air , Ryanair and TUI. Some 14 flights due to land at Luton were diverted to other airports including Gatwick and Stansted on Monday afternoon, according to FlightRadar24 data.
There were more than 60 arrivals and departures operated by EasyJet, TUI, Ryanair and Wizz delayed at the airport, according to a Reuters tally of the Luton arrivals and departures board online at 1600 GMT. That total included 14 Wizz flights heading to European holiday destinations including Tenerife and Dubrovnik, and 16 EasyJet arrivals.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said it had not cancelled any flights to or from Luton, but had diverted a small number to London Stansted Airport due to the runway defect. Britain's Royal Air Force said on Monday aircraft were using alternative airfields to its Brize Norton air base due to extreme temperatures, after Sky News reported that the hot weather had melted the runway at the Oxfordshire base.
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