In New York, the $19 billion redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport includes preparing for more extreme weather events such as storm surges and coastal floodings. Up north in Alaska, melting permafrost is forcing fortification of runways, while in Europe, contractors are studying building materials that allow runways to handle bigger temperatures swings or redesigning buildings for sweltering summers.
Heat waves this summer across the US, Europe and Asia put pressure on cooling systems at airports - which are crucial not just for keeping passengers comfortable but also ensuring critical electronic systems don’t overheat. Cotton said the agency has been on"high alert” regarding the threats of climate change and learned lessons from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which forced water over the seawall at LaGuardia, wrecking electronic equipment on the ground and flooding the airfield.
Over in Europe, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has already elevated its runways in the center and sloped them down towards the edges to make sure water drains properly as rainfall intensifies. Schiphol is also working on a rainfall disposal system that can cope with increasing precipitation for the next century, according to an official.
Urgency is building in the aviation industry to adjust to climate change, against the backdrop of rebounding post-pandemic travel and worsening weather conditions, according to a Eurocontrol report in March. The European airspace coordinator urged airports and airlines to adapt and become more resilient now to avoid facing damage to infrastructure and operations in the future.