Extreme Weather Is Forcing Redesign of World’s Busiest Airports
From New York to Nice, airports are altering the way they operate to adapt to ever-wilder climate swings.
Flooding at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida in April.
Source: Miami Herald/Tribune News Service/Getty imagesAirports around the world are relocating sensitive electrical equipment to rooftops to protect it from flooding, reinforcing runways to handle extreme temperature swings and revving up air conditioning as climate change complicates operations.
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.