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Airport Power Outage Resolved: Heathrow Flights Resume Operations
LONDON: Flights at Heathrow Airport in London, the busiest airport in Europe, gradually resumed late Friday after a fire at an electrical substation caused a significant power outage, leading to a complete shut down of operations. The incident left thousands of travelers stranded, resulting in widespread disruptions to global air travel.
Heathrow officials confirmed that teams worked diligently to restore operations following the extensive fire that occurred near the airport on Thursday night. All operations were halted, prompting the airport to advise passengers to avoid traveling to Heathrow.
On Friday, Heathrow was set to manage 1,351 flights and accommodate approximately 291,000 passengers. However, many flights were diverted to other airports across the UK and Europe, while several long-haul journeys returned to their points of origin.
In a statement, Heathrow indicated that a limited number of flights would operate on Friday, mainly to reposition aircraft and facilitate flight arrivals into London.
Looking ahead, Heathrow’s CEO Thomas Woldbye expressed optimism about resuming normal operations. “We expect to be fully operational by tomorrow morning,” he remarked, apologizing to travelers affected by the disruption. “We sincerely regret the inconvenience.”
Authorities stated there were no signs of foul play, but counter-terrorism officers were involved in the investigation due to the critical nature of the incident and infrastructure.
The airport closure sparked frustration among travelers and led to considerable unrest among airlines, prompting questions regarding the reliability of such crucial infrastructure. The airline industry may face potential financial losses amounting to tens of millions of pounds and complications about who would absorb those costs.
“You would expect they’d have robust backup power systems,” lamented a senior executive from a European airline to Reuters.
In response to criticisms, Heathrow’s Woldbye defended the airport’s protocols, noting that backup systems had functioned as intended. “This (power supply) is a weak point,” he acknowledged. “Nevertheless, we cannot protect ourselves against every eventuality.”
Regarding financial liability, he mentioned that while certain protocols exist, “we lack liabilities for incidents like this.”
British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander emphasized that the situation was beyond Heathrow’s control. “They rapidly put their contingency plans into action and collaborated with emergency services and airlines,” she stated.
Flight Diversions and Long-Term Impact
Numerous airlines, including JetBlue, American Airlines, Air Canada, Air India, Delta Air Lines, Qantas, United Airlines, British Airways (part of IAG), and Virgin Atlantic, experienced either diversions or had to return to their departure airports, according to data from flight analytics firm Cirium. Consequently, stock values of affected airlines, including US carriers, dropped amid the turmoil.
Aviation experts noted that the last time European airports faced such widespread disruptions was during the Icelandic volcanic ash crisis of 2010, which led to around 100,000 flight cancellations. Although flights are beginning to resume, a return to normal operations will take time.
British Airways CEO Sean Doyle highlighted the operational challenges caused by the situation, stating, “Our flight and cabin crews, along with aircraft, are not where they should be.” He indicated that the repercussions would significantly affect customers in the coming days.
Fire officials have yet to determine the cause of the substation fire but confirmed that 25,000 liters of cooling oil in a transformer caught ablaze, with smoke seen pouring from the unit by morning, covered in white firefighting foam.
Passengers caught in the travel chaos were left scrambling to arrange alternative transportation amid extensive delays. “This is incredibly stressful,” voiced Robyn Autry, a professor slated to fly back to New York. “I’m anxious about the costs of rearranging my plans.”
The surge in accommodation costs around Heathrow was pronounced, with room rates soaring to £500—five times the typical rate—on booking platforms.
Critical Infrastructure Concerns
The incident raised serious questions about how the UK’s primary international gateway could be immobilized due to a single fire. Airports in London, including Heathrow, have faced previous operational disruptions, including an automated gate failure and a major air traffic control system error in 2023.
Philip Ingram, a former British intelligence officer, remarked that the fire revealed vulnerabilities in the UK’s critical infrastructure. “This serves as a wake-up call,” he stated. “Heathrow should not be entirely immobilized due to an issue at one power substation.”
Willie Walsh, head of the global airline association IATA and former CEO of British Airways, criticized Heathrow for failing passengers once more.
Despite stating that the airport had backup generators and uninterruptible power supplies in place to manage emergency landings and evacuate passengers, officials admitted that, considering the airport’s energy demands comparable to a small city, they could not maintain standard operations solely through backup systems.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged that pressing questions need to be addressed regarding the nature of the incident and assured that a comprehensive investigation would be conducted.
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