BREAKING NEWS

Flights at UK's Luton resume after heatwave havoc on runways

Britain's London Luton airport said it had reopened to all flights after a runway defect caused by hot weather.

The runway reopened to both arriving and departing flights at 18:05 and os now fully operational," London Luton Airport tweeted.

Flights were suspended at UK's Luton Airport due to a runway defect following high temperatures, Sky News reported on Monday.

"Following today's high temperatures, a surface defect was identified on the runway. Engineers were called immediately to site and repair works are currently in progress to resume operations as soon as possible," the airport said in a Twitter statement.

London Luton Airport, July 18, 2022. (credit: ORI LEWIS)
London Luton Airport, July 18, 2022. (credit: ORI LEWIS)

In addition, 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 the hot weather had melted the runway at the Oxfordshire base.

Sky, citing a military source, earlier said the RAF had halted flights in and out of the base. Britain is forecast to hit record temperatures on Monday.

"During this period of extreme temperature flight safety remains the RAF’s top priority, so aircraft are using alternative airfields in line with a long-established plan. This means there is no impact on RAF operations," the Royal Air Force said of flights at RAF Brize Norton, in a statement posted on Twitter by the Ministry of Defence.