Airports are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change: intensifying heatwaves, extreme rainfall, strong winds… all phenomena that can damage infrastructure, disrupt operations and increase risks for both passengers and staff. Beyond service continuity challenges, these impacts also represent a growing cost in terms of maintenance, repairs and emergency management. Having a structured assessment and an adaptation plan enables airports to anticipate these challenges.
How airports can practically prepare for climate change
Published 12.05.26
3 mins read
Getting the strategy right
The effects of climate change are already visible. They are not abstract models; they are an operational reality that is already affecting infrastructure on a daily basis. For example, rising temperatures can reduce the lifespan of some airfield pavements by 25% within ten years. This fundamentally alters maintenance strategies, renewal planning and budgeting.
For airport operators, the difficulty lies in the time horizon. Their role naturally involves short-term management, focused on maintaining operational continuity. However, climate hazards must now be analysed across multiple timeframes. According to projections by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), some regions may experience increased rainfall in the short term, followed by a decline over the longer term. Without this multi-scale understanding, operators risk over-adapting their infrastructure – in other words, overinvesting in solutions that are effective today but obsolete tomorrow. And over- or under-adaptation can be very costly.
Beyond climate data, the challenge is above all to provide a short- and long-term vision, aligned with day-to-day management and fully integrated with operational constraints. The objective is to support informed decision-making and effective trade-offs in planning, investment and maintenance, ensuring an appropriate level of service under evolving climatic conditions.
To support this approach, a dedicated climate resilience methodology is essential because it turns anticipation into a strategic and actionable lever.
Collaborative development
An adaptation strategy is only effective and credible if it is designed collectively. A “closed-door” approach between experts leads to overly theoretical assessments that are disconnected from operational realities. Conversely, a diagnosis based solely on field knowledge often underestimates future developments.
Collaborative development with airport operational and environmental teams enables the integration of technical realities, day-to-day uses and site-specific constraints. To gain a broader perspective on territorial challenges beyond aeronautical activities, nearby operators (of rail and road networks) should also be involved, alongside public authorities when dealing with risks such as wildfires or hydrological events, which are often external to the infrastructure itself. By engaging in a collective dynamic with both institutional and private stakeholders, the approach strengthens overall regional resilience in anticipating and managing extreme climate events, while also sharing responsibility.
Working collaboratively with operators brings detailed knowledge of the site, including past incidents, recurring weak points, sensitive areas, and operational constraints. It is the teams themselves who know which terminals are most exposed during heatwaves, where water accumulates on runways during extreme Mediterranean storms, or how long it takes to return to normal operations after snowfall. This feedback transforms a macro-climatic analysis into a precise, actionable and prioritised assessment.
Once these observations are consolidated, technical expertise enhances the diagnosis by taking into account:
- potential aggravating factors, like ageing infrastructure, existing degradation, or materials in use,
- specific exposure to hazards, and
- functional impacts, like service interruptions, flight delays or cancellations.
The adaptation solutions resulting from this collective intelligence process are more relevant, as they are based on a shared diagnosis and a common understanding of priorities. The example of Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport, operated by VINCI Airports, illustrates this approach.
Lyon–Saint-Exupéry: preparing for 2050 through integrated climate planning
The study conducted at Lyon–Saint‑Exupéry Airport demonstrates how an airport can get ready for climate change through an approach that blends rigorous climate‑risk analysis and collaborative development with operational teams.
With Lyon Airport, Egis deployed its EVA-Climat methodology, used for identifying climate risks, assessing vulnerabilities and supporting infrastructure managers in implementing operational adaptation strategies.
This included:
- assessing exposure to climate risks based on the Reference Warming Trajectory for Climate Change Adaptation (TRACC),
- analysing the physical and functional impacts expected by 2050,
- studying infrastructure vulnerability, including component degradation levels in response to climate hazards, potential disruptions to service continuity and the capacity to maintain service continuity,
- identifying critical points,
- estimating the cost of inaction, thereby strengthening the airport’s ability to plan investments and structure its resilience strategy.
Turning climate risks into operational strength
Egis’ unique position as consultant, engineer and operator provides a deep understanding of the operational, technical and financial challenges of airport infrastructure, as well as the climate-related issues that affect it. This role also commits Egis to delivering practical, measurable solutions, both for the infrastructure it operates and in its broader responsibility as a designer of living environments. In addition to external clients, several airports operated by the Group have already benefited from the EVA-Climat methodology.
The strategies developed are far from theoretical assumptions. They are grounded in both operational insight and technical analysis, are robust and directly usable by airports. They lead to:
- better protection of infrastructure,
- longer asset lifespans,
- lower emergency response costs,
- optimised investments, made at the right time and at the right scale,
- enhanced safety, and
- improved service continuity during extreme events.
Together, these outcomes become a real driver of performance, cost control and operational resilience. In a rapidly changing climate, anticipating future conditions is now essential to ensure the reliability of airport infrastructure and its key role within regions.
Author.
Laureline MonteigniesHead of the Biodiversity and Adaptation team, Energy & Sustainable City
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