Sandbags away: Planes pinned down as climate-related storms worry airports

Cyclones seen as dangers to aviation industry as it adapts to global warming

Planes are being kept grounded by sandbags in the cargo hold during stormy weather. Getty

Where pilots once called “chocks away” to clear the way for take-off, a command of "sandbags away” might now be in order as planes are weighed down to protect them from climate-related disasters.

Heavy storms and cyclones are regarded as one of the main dangers to aviation as the high-emissions sector draws up plans to adapt to climate change, industry figures said on Thursday.

The industry was given a warning shot by 2018’s Typhoon Jebi, which led to a flooded runway at Japan’s Kansai International Airport and left people stranded on its artificial islands.

One measure taken to keep aircraft grounded during typhoon season in East Asia is to tie external weights to their nose gear and load cargo holds with sandbags, said Vivek Sandhamani, head of sustainability at Netherlands Airports Consultants.

He said Hong Kong had brought in reinforced typhoon-grade roller shutters to protect the international airport’s baggage hall from winds of up to 185kph. The number of chocks, or wheel stops, on the runway has been increased to prevent planes from skidding.

Raised sea walls are also being built to prevent airports, which are often situated near water, being overwhelmed by floods in the event of a severe storm.

Airport bosses who redesigned the terminals in Japan “are ready for the next typhoon, if it happens”, Mr Sandhamani told an event hosted by Airports Council International.

“If this Jebi typhoon happens next time, then there shouldn’t be a single drop of water on the island.”

Andrea Deitz, a foreign affairs specialist at the US Federal Aviation Administration, said industry bosses had identified “increased intensity of storms” as their biggest expected climate challenge in a survey.

Climate scientists expect flood risks to be heightened on a warming planet by rising sea levels, storm surges and heavy rainfall. The impact of tropical cyclones on Earth has already increased in recent years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says.

Extreme temperatures and changes in precipitation are also regarded as threats to the aviation industry, Ms Deitz said.

There are concerns intense heat could cause illness to airport workers and passengers or expose them to mosquito-born disease. Failure of electrical vaults due to extreme temperatures is another worry.

Warmer weather could bring some positive effects to airports because runways would not need cleared of snow, planes could be de-iced less often and certain seasons would become more favourable for tourism, insiders said.

However, most of the adaptation documents prepared by aviation bosses “are talking about climate change in a very negative way, which I think is very appropriate given the impacts that are projected globally but are also projected on the aviation sector more specifically”, Ms Deitz said.

Mr Sandhamani said the industry also faced “transition risks” as it navigates the push for greener transport. Countries such as France are encouraging people to shun short-haul air travel in favour of lower-carbon land routes.

The presidency of Cop28 in Dubai last week said it was working on an energy package that involved “substantially shifting towards fossil-free forms of transport”.