Fewer planes will be able to take-off and land at Rochester Airport in adverse weather conditions when the second runway is closed, according to an aviation expert.

Runway 34/16, which is due to shut by April 2019 as part of a redevelopment, currently provides a runway to aircrafts which struggle with high winds.

A review concluded pilots in “aircraft types that are susceptible to changing wind conditions may not be able to use the airport to land and take off” as the remaining 02/20 runway will not be appropriate.

Plans to improve the airport, including building a new control tower and helipads, were approved by Medway Council this week.

The council head of planning Dave Harris said: “There will be some aircraft that use the 34/16 runway that will still be able to use 02/20 in adverse weather conditions.

“But there will be other aircraft that won’t be able to land or take off on 02/20, and with either have to not take off or find somewhere else – another airport – to land.”

The report by Lichfields associate director Tabitha Knowles concludes that “closing the runway will reduce the airport’s usability factor” due to a “possible reduction in total aircraft movements”.

Although not a planning consideration, some concern was shown by Cllr Glyn Griffiths (Lab) at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday night.

He added: “Is there just a fraction of planes where pilots say ‘you know what, we’re still going to land on that main runway’?

“Or will it be crystal clear in terms of the circumstances in which where we would have switched to the other runway, those planes that can’t cope with landing on the main runway will be diverted?”

Ms Knowles said the “onus” is on pilots, who have a “statutory duty” to understand what conditions their planes are able to cope with and ensure they are flown within those confines.

It was confirmed the operators of the airport, Rochester Airport Limited, believe the Medway Council-owned site is "still commercially viable" despite the changes.