London’s Heathrow Airport has partially resumed operations after a fire at an electrical substation led to a massive power outage, grounding over 1,350 flights and stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers. The fire broke out on Thursday night at a substation in Hayes, north of Heathrow, cutting power to the airport and nearby homes. While the situation has improved, disruptions are expected to continue as investigations into the cause of the fire unfold.
Substation Fire Leads to Major Outage
The blaze, which erupted late Thursday evening, led to the failure of essential power supplies at Heathrow. Over 70 firefighters battled the fire throughout the night, as 25,000 liters of oil caught fire. This caused widespread power failures, leaving 67,000 homes without electricity and resulting in evacuations in nearby areas. The fire forced Heathrow to halt all flights on Friday morning, affecting travelers across multiple time zones.
The Metropolitan Police and counter-terrorism teams are investigating the incident. While authorities have found no signs of foul play, the investigation is ongoing, and experts remain open to all possibilities. CCTV footage from the scene does not show anything suspicious, and forensic analysis of equipment is underway. National Grid has called the incident “extraordinarily rare” but emphasizes the need for a thorough investigation once the airport’s systems are fully restored.
Airport Operations Begin to Resume
Heathrow began reopening its terminals late Friday evening, with full operations expected to resume by Saturday. However, airlines have warned that delays and cancellations will continue for several days as they work to manage the backlog of flights. Passengers are advised to arrive as usual but check their flight statuses in advance.
To assist in clearing the backlog, the Department for Transport has lifted restrictions on night flights. British Airways, which operates a significant portion of Heathrow’s flights, began resuming long-haul services on Friday night. However, the airline was forced to cancel all short-haul and most long-haul flights earlier in the day. British Airways CEO Sean Doyle indicated that the disruption would have long-lasting effects, impacting both passengers and the airline’s operations for the next few days.
Industry and Government Reactions
The fire has sparked a wave of criticism from industry leaders and government officials. Downing Street emphasized that there are serious questions to answer about the incident, particularly regarding the preparedness of Heathrow and National Grid for such an event. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a review of safeguards in place to prevent such occurrences in the future, once the situation is fully stabilized.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander defended Heathrow, highlighting that the fire was unprecedented and beyond the airport’s control. While Heathrow’s backup generators worked as expected, they were only able to power critical systems, not the entire airport infrastructure. She noted that despite the challenges, Heathrow managed to prevent a total collapse of operations.
Criticism of Airport Infrastructure
Critics, however, have expressed concerns about Heathrow’s reliance on a single power source for its operations. International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh called the incident a major planning failure, questioning how a critical airport like Heathrow could depend solely on one power source without a backup plan.
Former GCHQ head, David Omand, echoed these concerns, labeling the incident a “national embarrassment.” He argued that it was unacceptable for a global hub like Heathrow to be rendered inoperable for an entire day due to a single infrastructure failure.
Repatriation Efforts and Ongoing Investigations
As Heathrow works to restore normalcy, the airport is collaborating with airlines to repatriate passengers who were diverted to other airports across Europe. The priority is ensuring the safety of all travelers while minimizing disruptions.
The fire’s cause is still under investigation, and questions remain about the resilience of the airport’s infrastructure. The event has raised broader concerns about the potential vulnerabilities in the systems that support critical services like international air travel. As Heathrow continues to stabilize, all eyes are on the findings of the investigation to understand how a failure of this magnitude could occur at one of the world’s busiest airports.
While Heathrow’s operations are slowly returning to normal, the fire at the electrical substation has exposed significant vulnerabilities in the airport’s infrastructure. With ongoing investigations and a commitment to repatriate stranded passengers, Heathrow must address concerns over its resilience to future incidents. As the situation evolves, further insights into the cause and response will be crucial for the airport and the aviation industry as a whole.
