Airport in Germany reopens after heat damaged runway

The airport at Hannover in northern Germany has reopened after damage caused to the runway by persistent heat forced operators to shut it for repairs.

News agency dpa reported that airport officials said departures resumed with a flight to Amsterdam just after 6.30 a.m. Wednesday. The airport expected some cancellations and delays before operations return to normal around midday.

The airport was shut on Tuesday evening because parts of the surface of one of the runways buckled as a result of the heat and the other runway was closed for maintenance work. The closure hit during the busy summer holiday period, and some passengers spent the night at the airport.

Like much of Europe, Germany has been experiencing prolonged high temperatures.