A MAJOR airport runway has been closed as sizzling temperatures have 'melted' the tarmac, forcing dozens of flights to be suspended.

Engineers were called out to London Luton Airport to look at what was described as a “surface defect” on the runway.

A statement from the airport said: “Following today’s high temperatures, a surface defect was identified on the runway.

“Engineers were called immediately to site and repair works are currently in progress to resume operations as soon as possible.

“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

According to Glasgow Airport's website, a flight is scheduled to arrive from Luton Airport at 20:15.

So far, the flight is still on track.

Similarly, an Easyjet flight was scheduled to depart Glasgow for Luton at 20:45, but this has since been delayed until 01:20. 

Those wishing to check their flight on Luton's website may experience delays in accessing the site due to high volumes of visitors. 

Meanwhile, the rising temperatures have also seen flying activity halted at RAF Brize Norton, with Sky News reporting that part of the runway had melted.

An RAF spokesman said: “During this period of extreme temperature flight safety remains our top priority, so aircraft are using alternative airfields in line with a long-established plan.

“This means there is no impact on RAF operations.”