Impact of Climate Change on Runway Length in the US

The aviation industry is especially vulnerable to climate change, which impacts areas ranging from terminal infrastructure and runways to aircraft safety and efficiency. For instance, airports located close to coastal areas are at the highest risk of becoming impacted by sea level rise. Additionally, with decreasing air density as a result of increasing air temperatures, some runways, i.e. their lift-off distance, might be at risk of becoming too short for the current aircraft fleet to land safely. In our study, we analyze runway lengths that must be increased across the entire United States in response to current and future anticipated temperature increases. We also provide suggestions related to adaptation of airport infrastructure.