The Royal Air Force (RAF) was forced to halt all flights Monday because the runway at their largest base in the United Kingdom had melted.
The RAF halted all flights at the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire because “the runway has melted” under Britain’s record-breaking heatwave, according to Sky News. The British Met Office issued its first ever “Red Extreme” heat warning Friday as temperatures were set to hit more than 40 degrees Celsius (around 104 degrees Fahrenheit) across the archipelago.
BREAKING NEWS: Flights in and out RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire have been halted because the “runway has melted” in the hot weather, Sky News understands.
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“During this period of extreme temperature flight safety remains the RAF’s top priority, so aircraft are using alternative airfields in line with a long-established plan. This means there is no impact on RAF operations,” the RAF said in a statement shared on Twitter by the Ministry of Defence Press Office. (RELATED: UK Issues First-Ever Extreme Heat Warning, And People’s Reactions Are Hilarious)
Earlier in July, a spokesperson from the RAF confirmed “all flying” was cancelled for two days at the Cranwell base because of the hot weather, according to another report by Sky News. “Our aircraft flight line has melted in the heat, so all flying at Cranwell has been stopped,” a source told Sky, “Obviously all the trainees are f***** off as it’s just a s*** show.”
The latest July forecasts suggest things are about to get even hotter in the UK, Sky News noted. Flights have also been suspended at Luton airport as a result of the soaring temperatures, the outlet noted in an update.