Home / Disasters and Accidents / Rare Lightning Strike Punctures Brisbane Runway
Rare Lightning Strike Punctures Brisbane Runway
28 Oct
Summary
- Lightning strike created palm-sized holes in Brisbane Airport's western runway.
- Engineers conducted emergency repairs, restoring the runway late Tuesday.
- While delays occurred, no flights were cancelled due to the incident.
On Tuesday afternoon, a lightning strike significantly damaged Brisbane Airport's western runway, blasting holes estimated to be palm-sized. Airport engineers were immediately dispatched to assess and repair the affected bitumen section. The runway was closed for emergency repairs, which involved cutting out damaged areas and re-asphalting.
Repairs were completed by 11:52 PM on Tuesday, restoring the runway's operation. Despite the closure, the airport's eastern runway remained open, minimizing disruption. While travelers experienced average delays of 48 minutes during the storm period, no flights were cancelled or diverted. Airport operations returned to normal on Wednesday.
Severe storms moved through southeast Queensland on Tuesday afternoon, bringing damaging winds and large hailstones in some areas. These storms, which included the lightning event, lasted until approximately 5 PM. No further storms are anticipated for Brisbane on Wednesday, with cooler and drier conditions expected later in the week.
