UK temporarily suspends flights at Luton airport after heat lifts runway

July 18 () –

The authorities at Luton airport, located in the UK capital, London, have temporarily suspended some flights because high temperatures have raised part of the tarmac on the runway.

The Aerodrome Directorate later reported that, around 6:00 p.m. (local time), normality had already been recovered for both departure and arrival flights, according to the British public broadcaster BBC.

A London-Luton spokesman had previously noted that flights had been temporarily suspended to “allow for essential repairs to the runway”, which was damaged after high temperatures lifted a “small section” of tarmac.

Some companies, such as EasyJet or Ryanair, have had to divert some of their arrivals to nearby airports. Likewise, EasyJet has reported that it has had to cancel some flights to Belfast, Milan and Palma.

The British Meteorological Office has declared a red alert for this Monday and Tuesday for high temperatures that will leave figures above 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of England.

According to the state weather service, Luton airport has reached a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (local time).