Why is the landing rollout longer at higher altitude airports?

The reasoning behind selecting that particular choice centers on the aviation dynamics present at higher altitude airports. At elevated elevations, the air density is lower, which directly influences aircraft performance.

One significant impact of this lower air density is on the aircraft's ability to utilize reverse thrust effectively. Reverse thrust helps slow down an aircraft upon landing, but in thinner air, the effectiveness of this system is diminished. As a result, aircraft may not decelerate as rapidly as they would at lower altitudes.

Concurrently, higher altitude airports contribute to a faster true airspeed and ground speed during landing. Since the aircraft is operating in less dense air, a given thrust setting results in a higher ground speed. Higher ground speed means that the aircraft will cover more distance on the runway during the landing rollout, leading to an extended landing distance.

By considering both of these factors together—ineffective reverse thrust and increased ground speed—it becomes evident that the combination of these two elements explains why the landing rollout is longer at airports located at higher altitudes. This multi-faceted approach highlights how changes in altitude can significantly affect aircraft performance during landing.