Image: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Unlike large commercial passenger airplanes, which are struck by lightning only once or twice a year, airports can be hit many times, depending on their locations.
Most major terminals utilize lightning warning systems that allow them to halt operations and move everyone inside when there is a nearby storm. Typically, if a lightning strike occurs with 5 mi (8 km) of the terminal, safety measures go into effect, and operations are halted until no strikes are detected for 15 minutes to safeguard ground crews, especially those refueling aircraft.
“Airports often experience dozens to hundreds of lightning strikes annually, particularly in lightning-prone regions such as Florida,” Carlos T. Mata, chief technology officer, Scientific Lightning Solutions says. “The threat posed by lightning to airport infrastructure is complex, encompassing not only structural, but also electronic, damage.”
In terms of lightning risk, all 50 U.S. states experience thunderstorms, with the greatest number in southern Florida (over 100 days with thunderstorms every year) and the fewest along the West Coast.
Florida and Texas, with frequent thunderstorms and numerous major terminals, must deal more often than most other areas with the lightning threat.
Greg Chin, Communications Division director, Miami-Dade Aviation Department, says, “In 2024, Miami International Airport (MIA) had 10 documented lightning strikes. Based on observations during routine airfield operations, we estimate that another 15 to 20 minor strikes also occurred last year.”
Patrick Clarke, a public information coordinator for the Dallas Department of Aviation, says, “We (Dallas Love Field) have experienced many intense thunderstorms, particularly during the spring and summer, and have evidence of damage to the airfield from strikes.”
In terms of structural damage, runways and taxiways are often struck by lightning. These direct strikes can cause surface damage, “especially in concrete surfaces where moisture or internal voids can explosively expand,” Mata said. The expansion can cause foreign object debris (FOD), which poses a hazard to aircraft engines and landing gear, he said, adding that expansion also can leave deep potholes that can measure several feet across.
If a plane taking off or landing at high speed hits one of these potholes, a runway excursion could occur, along with blown tires and other damage.
Clarke, the Dallas Department of Aviation spokesman, notes that, “After each storm, we are also required by FAA [U.S. Federal Aviation Administration] regulations to conduct special inspections on our facilities (runways, taxiways, and ramps) to ensure they remain safe.”
In Miami, Chin says, “Most of the documented strikes only required a minimal amount of asphalt repair with cold patches, and some only needed to be monitored to ensure that they did not deteriorate. A few of the larger strikes created visible debris that required cleanup by a street sweeper vehicle and some asphalt repair to fill the holes that were left behind.”
As to other risks at airports, Mata says, “Their flat, open layouts and concentration of tall structures (e.g., control towers, antennas, tanks) increase the likelihood of lightning attachment to these taller structures. Critical lightning-related risk involves disruption or damage to safety-critical electronic systems such as instrument systems, ground and surveillance radars, runway and taxiway lighting controls, weather stations, and radio communications. Documented cases include radar blackouts and temporary loss of communication.”
He further cautions, “Worst-case scenarios involve concurrent failure of multiple systems during landing or takeoff under low visibility conditions.”
A study published by the Oklahoma State University Aviation and Space Program titled “Impact of Lightning Strikes on Airport Facility and Ground Operations” verified the lightning threat. Looking at infrastructure damage due to airport-specific lightning strikes from 1996 through 2020, the study documented lightning damage to airport beacons, runways, taxiways, ramps, electrical systems (including runway lighting), air traffic control equipment, and weather equipment. file:///C:/Users/Ed/Downloads/8533-Article%20Text-18383-3-10-20220701%20(2).pdf
The lightning threat to facilities was significant enough for the FAA to provide lightning protection guidelines for aircraft and airport facilities in a standard that “establishes design, procurement, installation, construction, and evaluation standards for lightning protection.” The standard is mandatory for new facilities as well as “modifications and upgrades to existing facilities, new equipment installations, and new electronic equipment procurement used in the National Airspace System (NAS) facilities,” the document says.
The National Fire Protection Association offers additional guidance, which says it “provides lightning protection system installation requirements to safeguard people and property from fire risk and related hazards associated with lightning exposure.”
As for implementation, Mata says, “The good news is that while many of these lightning-related risks are serious, they can be significantly reduced through well-engineered mitigation measures — though it’s important to note that many of the most effective solutions are not commercial off-the-shelf … products. Instead, they require site-specific engineering, integrating proven lightning protection principles with tailored designs for the airport’s unique layout, systems, and operational demands.”
For taller structures such as control towers and beacon towers, lightning-diversion devices known as “air terminals” can be used as protection against lightning strikes. Air terminals are the modern version of lightning rods, designed not to attract lightning away from a structure but rather to intercept a bolt that is about to hit. The air terminal system, when hit, sends the energy from the terminal down a conducting cable to a ground rod or plate that dissipates that energy harmlessly into the soil. At Love Field, according to Clarke, “All terminal rooftops are equipped with lightning protection systems to safeguard structures from the hazards associated with lightning strikes.”
In terms of safety, runway lights are critical for takeoffs, approaches, landings, and taxiing when visibility is impaired by darkness, fog, or precipitation. In these situations, standard runway markings may not be clearly visible. Different light colors and lighting schemes are used to direct pilots to correct destinations. Mata says that lightning protection systems “must include robust, purpose-built protection for runway and taxiway lighting systems, as their failure can have immediate operational and safety consequences.”
In fact, airport lighting systems are required by the FAA to have adequate protection against lightning strikes. For example, at Love Field, “the airfield lighting system is equipped with a dedicated counterpoise grounding system, which is highly effective under normal operating conditions,” Clarke says. A counterpoise grounding system provides protection from underground power surges that can occur with a nearby lightning strike. But as Clarke notes, “No grounding system can provide absolute protection … in the event of a direct lightning strike.”
As for lightning protection for electronic equipment, the FAA requires “lightning and surge protection, grounding, bonding, and shielding (LPGBS) systems, and assigns responsibility for protection of people, sensitive electronic equipment, and structures of the National Airspace System (NAS) operational facilities.”
Electronic equipment not threatened by direct lightning strikes can still be affected by electrical surges induced by nearby strikes. These can travel along power lines and data lines, wreaking havoc on delicate electronics and causing equipment failure or system outages.
To prevent damage to electronic equipment, Mata recommends “installation of robust surge protection devices (SPDs) at power distribution and communication entry points to safeguard radar, runway lighting controls, weather stations, and other sensitive electronics.” He also calls for “ensuring all metallic systems are properly bonded and that the grounding system is low-resistance and well-distributed across the facility, minimizing dangerous ground potential rise.”
At DAL, Clarke says, “We’ve experienced blown transformers. All electrical substations are equipped with surge protection systems, which are regularly tested and maintained. Additionally, our electrical systems are protected with grounding and bonding to help prevent electrical hazards such as shock, equipment damage, and electrical fires.”
Mata also warns that “lightning protection is not “set and forget.”
Regular inspections, ground resistance testing, and maintenance are critical for long-term performance, particularly in corrosive or high-strike environments,” he says.
At Love Field, Clarke agrees, adding, “All electrical substations equipped with surge protection systems are regularly tested and maintained.”
As mentioned above, most major airports utilize lightning detection technology. According to Mata, “On-site lightning detection systems … help staff make informed operational decisions and activate protective protocols when strikes are imminent.”
Clarke agrees and says, “Dallas Love Field’s emergency management department monitors weather conditions through various methods and programs, including tracking lightning activity in real time. This allows us to develop plans to handle severe weather events.”
Lightning detection systems do not directly forecast lightning strikes. They will only send out warnings if a lightning strike has occurred within a preset distance. A newly developed thunderstorm within close proximity to a terminal may send out its first lightning strike within the so-called safe zone. Also, lightning bolts may be far enough from the parent storm as to not be within the warning range. Bolts have occurred as far as 10 mi (16 km) from the actual cloud.
“By combining these strategies — including innovative, custom-engineered solutions for both infrastructure and ground operations,” Mata says, “airports can significantly reduce both the frequency and severity of lightning-related incidents, while maintaining operational continuity and protecting planes, personnel, and passengers.”
Edward Brotak, Ph.D., retired in 2007 after 25 years as a professor and program director in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.
