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The type of concrete that recently forced hundreds of UK schools to close and sparked a political crisis has been discovered at Heathrow and Gatwick, two of the UK’s busiest international airports.
The airports, which handle nearly 100 million passengers a year, said they were aware of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or Raac, before its use garnered national attention last week.
Identification of the substance at two of the UK’s largest airports revealed widespread presence of the material, which is prone to corrosion and cracking over time.
Cellular concrete was most commonly used in public buildings from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s, but was also used in the construction of commercial private sector buildings such as offices, supermarkets and warehouses.
Heathrow and Gatwick were both privatized in the 1980s when the British government publicly listed the British Airports Authority.
Raac was first spotted in Heathrow Terminal 3 last year, prompting the airport to take interim remedial measures while a permanent solution is prepared.
Outrage at the school has prompted Heathrow to review its management of the material. It has since been concluded that the original plan is still suitable.
“Industry is aware and is taking action to remediate buildings containing this material,” the airport said, adding that many other organizations are also assessing their assets for the presence of the material.
“The safety of our passengers and colleagues will always be our top priority. We will continue to keep stakeholders across the industry updated on the situation as our permanent resolution plan progresses.”
Structural engineers say Raac’s presence is of greatest concern in poorly maintained buildings. This is more common in public spaces, where government cuts have meant inconsistent investment in upgrades and repairs.
Chris Goodier, professor of construction engineering and materials at Loughborough University and one of the UK’s few experts on Raac, said the material’s presence posed a far smaller threat to airports than to schools and hospitals.
“There are people out there who run the place 7 days a week and have a huge full-time maintenance team whose only job is to keep the airport running 24/7,” he said, adding that most airport maintenance staff would be aware of the airport’s The material exists for a period of time.
“They have money and they spend it because if they have to close a building, they pay a lot,” he added.
Goodale also noted that Raac was likely in an office building or warehouse attached to the airport, not necessarily in the passenger terminal.
Gatwick Airport said: “We register locations within the airport campus where Raac exists and these locations are closely monitored through a regular and comprehensive regime of structural inspections.
“Our last inspection in June 2023 revealed no issues and we will continue to monitor regularly,” it added.
Manchester Airport is also conducting checks to see if Raac is present in any of its buildings, although the likelihood of its presence is currently assessed as “very low”, according to a source familiar with the matter.
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