Global airport operators, faced with rising sea levels and more powerful storms as the climate changes, are starting to invest in measures including higher runways, seawalls and better drainage systems to future-proof immovable assets.
In early September, a seawall at Kansai International Airport, built on a reclaimed island near Osaka, was breached during Typhoon Jebi. The runway was flooded, and it took 17 days to fully restore airport operations, at a high cost to the region's economy as well as the dozens of airlines that canceled flights.
Major airports in Hong Kong, mainland China and North Carolina were also closed due to tropical storms last month.