Preparing air transport stakeholders for climate-related disruptions

Aviation has always been impacted by the climate, but these impacts are becoming stronger and increasing in frequency so it is essential to account for the impact of climate change when planning for disruptions to the air transport sector in the years ahead. EUROCONTROL has conducted a study on the Climate Risks to European Aviation and has highlighted that the future outlook is much wider than just rising temperatures. Changes in the frequency and intensity of storms have the potential to increase delays and reduce flight efficiency while flooding due to rising sea levels and storm surge could impact airport capacity.

The European Aviation Climate Change Adaptation Working Group was established by EUROCONTROL and ACI EUROPE three years ago to support aviation operational stakeholders in adapting to the impacts of climate change. The industry needed a platform where all key industry players – airports, airlines, air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and industry associations – could share experiences and good practices.

Airports Council International (ACI) conducted a Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation Survey among its airport members in 2021, with results pointing to one key takeaway – approximately 70% of airport respondents globally had been impacted by adverse weather events, patterns and conditions. At the same time, back in 2021, Europe was the least impacted of the regions, with 53% of airports being impacted. It would be interesting to see the rankings today as the weather in our region becomes more extreme.

When considering the impacts of climate change, the full brunt of them will not manifest overnight. However, some are already being experienced and will increase in frequency and intensity over the next 20-50 years, with the exception of sea level rise where, in most cases, impacts will be experienced in the longer term 50-100 years. It is a complex, multi-speed landscape of challenges.

Climate impacts for European aviation organisations will vary according to their climate zone, how the climate is projected to change, and the specifics of their operations. Some of the key climate-related effects which may necessitate preparedness include: extreme temperatures – high and low – along with an increase in the overall average temperatures; frequency and intensity of storms – precipitation, wind and icing; increasing dust storms, depending on the region, and rising sea levels.

Changes to biodiversity can also play a role in the future, with increased probability of bird strikes, as well as accelerated spreading of infectious diseases.

Naturally, the actions to be taken in winter are different from those required during summer. EUROCONTROL and ACI EUROPE have developed dedicated briefings addressing these seasonal differences. The Winter Preparedness Guide and the Summer Preparedness Guide can be downloaded from EUROCONTROL’s and ACI EUROPE’s websites respectively.

To provide specific outcomes and preparedness options, let’s consider the impact of extreme heat on aviation stakeholders in more detail.

As the temperatures rise, the need for additional cooling is exacerbated for both airports and aircraft. But what about the runway infrastructure and the employees who work outside? In 2022, the UK experienced an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures going above 38 degrees C. Runway materials at London Luton Airport began to partially melt pushing the airport to close its premises for incoming and outgoing traffic. If the temperature is high enough for runways to melt, the employees working outside need solutions to stay cool.

When faced with extreme heat, airlines may incur increased operational costs due to change in aircraft performance, potential reductions in payload and cooling requirements in aircraft on stand. From an operational perspective it may lead to longer turnaround times on the ground, resulting in another key impact for airline schedules.

For ANSPs, impacts are more likely to result from disruptive weather conditions such as storms which lead to en-route capacity constraints, re-routings and additional controller workload.

All these outcomes can result in increased delays, increased energy usage and more cost. And we can’t forget the passengers in this discussion. Delayed flights and uncomfortably warm boarding lounges may lower passenger satisfaction and in extreme cases lead to health risks.

“The key to preparedness is to start by making sure these stakeholders are asking the right questions,” says Alexandre de Joybert, Director of Sustainability at ACI EUROPE. “Strengthening partnerships with weather agencies and public authorities is crucial for advanced preparedness. Building resilience in airport infrastructure means not only securing the airport's ability to withstand and recover from external disruptions but also maintaining vital connections (e.g. rail and road links) between airports and the communities they serve.”

Planning and developing resilient airport infrastructure is key to maintaining operations when a climate impact occurs. One example of this is drainage. Flash floods on airport properties could not only impact the runways but also damage IT infrastructure. Both have the potential for significant operational disruption. Groupe ADP – operator of Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly airports – modernised its drainage system in France to increase discharge flow in all weather conditions. Munich Airport also reviewed drainage performance within the airport and implemented decentralised rainwater management and flood-proof site planning, important measures to minimise the impact of flooding.

To ensure support for climate adaptation action, it’s important to ensure awareness at management level throughout organisations. This conversation should focus on the return-on-investment (ROI) of taking action in advance of a climate-related event, rather than being reactive. “The costs of doing nothing could end up being higher than investing proactively to be prepared,” says Alexandre de Joybert.

At the end of 2024, the Working Group published a briefing, Adapting Aviation to a Changing Climate, which provides a detailed landscape of the impacts to each of the stakeholders mentioned above and options for preparedness. The report also provides some guidelines to assess the specific risk situation of your organisation. It can be downloaded from both EUROCONTROL and ACI EUROPE websites.

Climate change is already here, so the discussion is no longer about if or when things will happen. Consider the devastation in Valencia, Spain as a result of unprecedented flash floods this past Autumn resulting in submerged runways. There was also the flooding of Milan Malpensa Airport in the late ummer of 2024. These floods impacted both the airports and the regions around them. Rising sea levels are a topic of growing importance in Norway. The country has already strengthened requirements for any new runways that are constructed to be no lower than seven metres above sea-level.

Climate change adaptation strategies need to be embedded within sustainability programmes and more widely across the organisation, and this is one of the topics the Working Group is addressing. What this translates to is that within operational, safety and business planning teams climate change needs to be a mainstream topic across the organisation, and not only left with sustainability-focused programmes.

The two organisations co-chairing the working group are working on other related issues. Raising awareness across all levels and stakeholders within aviation is another priority. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report, 2025, extreme weather events are the second highest risk category for the next two years, and the number one issue during the next 10 years.

Increased technical guidelines and resources for use to enhance preparedness are needed. The EUROCONTROL/ACI EUROPE working group is working on a regionally focused guidance document for European aviation stakeholders in this regard, including sharing good practices and lessons learned from the different participating organisations, and identifying “climate geographies”, which are not necessarily countries. Within countries there can be different climate impact zones that require airports, airlines and ANSPs to manage different circumstances requiring specific preparedness solutions.

The Working Group has also been part of the stakeholder consultation for the development of EUROCONTROL’s FlyingGreen ClimAdapt platform which provides a climate risk assessment pre- screening tool to support aviation’s operational stakeholders in taking the first steps in initiating a climate-change risk assessment for their organisation or state, a repository of climate impacts and adaptation measures for aviation stakeholders, and targeted risk assessment and adaptation planning checklists.

New technologies can also play a role in future to help prepare for and hopefully minimise the impact of climate-related events. The following list is not all-inclusive, but provides some food for thought as investments are made in airport infrastructure going forward: new runway materials to prevent melting in extreme heat; increased energy efficiency inside airport buildings to withstand extreme heat and cold fluctuations; advanced weather forecasting tools for improved weather management; sustainable water management including enhanced drainage and rainwater harvesting programmes, and increased collaboration among stakeholders. “The aviation industry is no longer debating if climate change will affect its operations, but rather how to prepare for these impacts. Ensuring the resilience of airport infrastructure is vital, as it safeguards not only connectivity but also the socioeconomic benefits that depend on it,” says Alexandre de Joybert.

Addressing climate-related impacts cannot stand alone. According to the ACI EUROPE Airport Industry Manifesto, 2024 – 2029, securing the revenues needed to finance decarbonisation and climate adaptation – along with digitalisation, resilience, cyber security and capacity expansion where needed – will be increasingly challenging for airports. Europe’s airports’ total investment needs by 2040 stand at EUR360 billion.