Travellers warned as lightning strike closes runway at Brisbane Airport
Lightning damaged Brisbane Airport’s western runway on Tuesday, forcing its closure for repairs and causing some flight delays. The incident matters because flights had to use the eastern runway while repairs and storm activity affected airport operations.
The strike occurred at 3.11pm AEST. The eastern runway reopened after a safety inspection, and the airport said repairs to the western runway were expected to finish by Wednesday morning. A severe thunderstorm warning remained in place for south-east Queensland, with damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain forecast.
In short
- Lightning damaged Brisbane Airport’s western runway.
- Flights continued on the eastern runway, with minor delays.
- Repairs were expected to finish by Wednesday morning.
Explained simply
Brisbane Airport is Queensland’s main airport and a major gateway for domestic and international flights. It has two parallel runways, which allow aircraft to take off and land.
When one runway is unavailable, the other may need to handle more flights, so aircraft can face delays or changes to their schedules. Thunderstorms can also disrupt airport operations because strong winds, hail and heavy rain may affect aircraft and ground crews.