LONDON – A significant fire at an electrical substation near Heathrow Airport caused a widespread power outage on Friday, leading to the suspension of operations at one of Europe’s busiest airports for approximately 18 hours. This incident disrupted travel plans for approximately 200,000 passengers, resulting in mass cancellations and a logistical nightmare of rerouting flights.
The fire erupted shortly before midnight on Thursday at a substation located around two miles from the airport. It took firefighters nearly seven hours to get the blaze under control. Officials stated that there is no indication of foul play, though an investigation by the London Fire Brigade is underway to determine the cause, focusing on the substation’s electrical distribution system.
Aside from the airport, numerous homes in the surrounding area experienced power outages. FlightRadar 24 reported that the fire impacted at least 1,350 flights scheduled to and from the airport, with the ramifications anticipated to persist for several days. This will affect the rescheduling of passenger trips and airline operations to manage aircraft and personnel allocation.
Heathrow was able to restore power later on Friday, with a British Airways flight being the first to land as the airport reopened. Subsequently, another flight arrived from Manchester, with a British Airways flight to Riyadh departing later in the evening. British Airways announced plans to operate eight long-haul flights that night, and the airport aimed to resume a full schedule on Saturday.
Residents of west London recalled hearing an explosion, seeing a fireball, and witnessing extensive smoke as the fire engulfed the substation. In the air, roughly 120 flights were affected when the closure news broke. Some aircraft returned to their points of origin or were redirected to alternative airports like Gatwick, Charles de Gaulle, or Shannon in Ireland. Lawrence Hayes, who was traveling with Virgin Atlantic, was diverted to Glasgow and spoke of his long and tiring journey back to London.
Heathrow, which accommodates numerous international travelers annually, experienced its most significant disruption since the 2010 ash cloud event from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which closed European airspace for days. Although authorities don’t suspect foul play, the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism unit is leading the investigation due to the site’s strategic importance.
Heathrow’s backup power systems functioned as designed, yet they couldn’t sustain full airport operations. As a result, officials made the difficult decision to close for most of the day. Airport CEO Thomas Woldbye described the incident as unprecedented, noting that, while some contingencies exist, this scale of disruption wasn’t foreseeable.
The incident ignited criticism of Britain’s disaster readiness. Alan Mendoza, from the Henry Jackson Society think tank, argued that the nation’s infrastructure lacks the robustness needed to prevent such occurrences. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed the need for a thorough investigation to prevent future disruptions of this magnitude.
Although Heathrow aimed to resume flights by midnight Friday, ongoing disruptions are expected as airlines work to accommodate impacted passengers. Aviation consultant Anita Mendiratta highlighted the complexity of rebooking passengers, mobilizing aircraft, and organizing crews.
Stories of confusion emerged, as in the case of Mark Doherty returning to New York after his flight was redirected mid-journey. In another incident, Andrea Sri’s family was forced to abandon their travel plans after learning of the airport closure from the police upon arrival at the airport.
Meanwhile, those diverted sought ways back to London, with airlines arranging alternative transportation including bus and train services. The fire’s aftermath also left visible marks as Matthew Muirhead recounted the incident, noting a flash of light and the subsequent power outage that affected 67,000 customers, later restored by the fire service.
Friday morning at Heathrow, typically bustling with flights starting at 6 a.m., was unusually quiet due to the disruption. James Henderson, a long-term resident near the airport, remarked on the rare stillness that allowed for the unfamiliar sound of birds singing.
Heathrow’s challenges are now transitioning from coping with the immediate disruption to addressing longer-term recovery and ensuring more robust systems are in place to handle future emergencies.
