News Body: A fire at an electricity substation caused a power outage, leading to the closure of London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday morning. The disruption affected thousands of air passengers and created widespread chaos at one of the busiest airports in the world.
The power failure was attributed to a fire at an electrical substation located in North Hyde, Hayes, in west London. Heathrow officials announced on social media that the airport would not reopen until at least Saturday morning. Aviation expert Alex Macheras told Al Jazeera that the resulting delays and cancellations could take days to resolve, as the situation had caused a major disruption across the airport and its operations.
Numerous flights were diverted to alternative airports, including Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt, Paris, Shannon in Ireland, and Manchester. However, the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office confirmed that an inquiry would take place to determine how the incident occurred and to prevent such large-scale disruptions in the future.
What Happened at Heathrow and the Surrounding Area?
The fire, which took place at the North Hyde electrical substation, knocked out power to Heathrow and surrounding areas, leaving 67,000 homes without electricity. Fortunately, no one was injured, but nearly 180 people had to be evacuated due to safety concerns, as large plumes of smoke were reported in the area. The London Fire Brigade confirmed that the fire was intensified by 25,000 litres of cooling oil in a transformer that was fully alight.
Heathrow Airport posted an advisory urging passengers not to travel to the airport and to contact their airlines for further information. The airport stated that it was not expected to reopen before midnight, and apologies were offered for the inconvenience caused.
Passengers who were already at Heathrow before the shutdown described scenes of confusion and chaos. Marhea, a 74-year-old passenger due to fly to Liberia with Brussels Airlines, reported arriving at the airport to find darkness and a lack of staff to explain the situation. Eventually, the airline rebooked her for a flight on Saturday with a different carrier.
Other passengers also experienced disruptions. Ellen, who was scheduled to fly from Heathrow to Venice as part of a surprise 30th birthday gift, was offered a full refund by British Airways after her flight was cancelled. She shared her disappointment with Al Jazeera, stating, “We won’t be travelling this weekend, but we will try to rearrange for another weekend soon.”
What Caused the Fire?
While the exact cause of the fire is still unclear, the London Fire Brigade’s deputy commissioner, Jonathan Smith, noted that the fire’s impact was aggravated by the presence of cooling oil in the transformer. The incident has drawn scrutiny over Heathrow’s backup systems. Dr Alan Mendoza from the Henry Jackson Society, a national security think tank, questioned why the airport’s backup systems failed to prevent such a large-scale disruption.
Heathrow responded by explaining that while its backup systems had been activated, they are not designed to handle full operations. These systems allow for aircraft to land and passengers to be evacuated but are not sufficient for normal airport operations.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband also assured the public that there were no signs of foul play, and counterterrorism officials were sent as a precaution to investigate. The Metropolitan Police stated that they were keeping an open mind regarding the fire’s cause but did not suspect sabotage.
Impact on Flights
According to FlightRadar24, more than 1,350 flights were disrupted, with 679 flights scheduled to land and 678 due to take off from Heathrow. The majority of inbound flights were rerouted to airports including Schiphol, Frankfurt, and Manchester. Other flights were diverted to Paris and Shannon.
Lloyd, a 34-year-old passenger who was en route to Glasgow Airport, received an email informing him that his flight from Heathrow to the United States had been cancelled. He explained that while he wasn’t as affected as those already at Heathrow, the ongoing chaos meant that many others were left stranded.
Heathrow’s Traffic and Future Risks
Heathrow, which serves around 67 million passengers annually, has long been a key international hub. The airport set a new record in 2024, surpassing 83 million passengers. Despite its size and importance, this incident has raised questions about contingency planning, especially with the increasing frequency of major disruptions at airports worldwide.
In addition to the Heathrow incident, the UK has faced other major aviation disruptions in recent years. Notably, last summer’s IT outage caused widespread cancellations and disruptions to several industries, while a 2023 technical glitch in the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) planning system grounded flights across the country.
The Latest Situation
Firefighters continue to battle the blaze, which, while under control, is still smouldering. British Airways and other airlines have advised passengers not to travel to Heathrow at this time, with airlines working quickly to provide updates on alternative travel arrangements.
This incident at Heathrow comes at a time when airports are increasingly vulnerable to operational failures, and experts continue to call for improved contingency planning to avoid such disruptions in the future.