In a Warming World, Keeping the Planes Running
- 7 years ago
In a Warming World, Keeping the Planes Running
Climate scientists predict that sea levels could rise by as much as six or seven feet this century, and aviation experts say
that even a much smaller rise could lead to more flooding at runways or terminals.
Climate scientists predict a global increase this century in the annual number of hot days and heat waves, and some airport planners worry
that climate change could push airport infrastructure to the limits of its operating capacity.
The cost of having a short runway in a hot place became clear to planners at Brisbane Airport in Australia, who studied climate models
and airlines’ financial data in 2009 while designing the airport’s second runway, said Karyn Rains, the project’s former environment manager.
Rains said that was mostly because larger planes would be unable to land at an 8,202-foot runway under certain hot weather conditions,
and would need to burn extra fuel while waiting to land at the privately owned airport’s original, 11,811-foot runway.
They discovered that because of an expected spike in the number of annual 86-plus-degree days in Brisbane, airlines would
be forced to spend more than $79 million per year by 2035 if the second runway were 8,202 feet, rather than 10,826 feet.
In Hong Kong, officials say that a project to build a third airport runway on soon-to-be reclaimed land was influenced by climate
and sea-level projections made in 2014 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Climate scientists predict that sea levels could rise by as much as six or seven feet this century, and aviation experts say
that even a much smaller rise could lead to more flooding at runways or terminals.
Climate scientists predict a global increase this century in the annual number of hot days and heat waves, and some airport planners worry
that climate change could push airport infrastructure to the limits of its operating capacity.
The cost of having a short runway in a hot place became clear to planners at Brisbane Airport in Australia, who studied climate models
and airlines’ financial data in 2009 while designing the airport’s second runway, said Karyn Rains, the project’s former environment manager.
Rains said that was mostly because larger planes would be unable to land at an 8,202-foot runway under certain hot weather conditions,
and would need to burn extra fuel while waiting to land at the privately owned airport’s original, 11,811-foot runway.
They discovered that because of an expected spike in the number of annual 86-plus-degree days in Brisbane, airlines would
be forced to spend more than $79 million per year by 2035 if the second runway were 8,202 feet, rather than 10,826 feet.
In Hong Kong, officials say that a project to build a third airport runway on soon-to-be reclaimed land was influenced by climate
and sea-level projections made in 2014 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.