LONDON, England: This week, flights from London’s Luton Airport, one of the UK’s largest airports, were suspended after heat caused by record high temperatures damaged a runway.
In some parts of the country this week, temperatures rose to 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit).
Luton Airport announced the suspension on Twitter and updated its status when the airport resumed operations.
the airport’s Twitter post said an “essential runway repair” was required “after high surface temperatures caused a small section to lift.”
After a report from Sky News suggested that the runway had “melted,” the Royal Air Force also suspended flights to and from its largest airbase, Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
In a tweet, the UK Ministry of Defence said, “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.”
Due to the record-breaking hot weather, both the Network Rail and Transport for London advised passengers to avoid travel through July 19, unless for “essential journeys.”
Last week, the national weather agency, the Met Office, issued its first ever red warning for extreme heat, predicting temperatures would reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in certain parts of the UK.
