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Heathrow ‘open and fully operational’
Heathrow Airport has announced that flights have resumed following a significant power outage that affected operations the previous day. The airport asserts that it is now “fully operational.”
In a response to the situation, additional staff have been mobilized to assist in managing the backlog of flights that accumulated during the disruption.
The airport stated:
We can confirm that Heathrow is open and fully operational today. Our teams across the airport are working diligently to support passengers who were affected by the power outage stemming from an issue at an off-airport substation.
We have deployed hundreds of extra team members in terminals and have incorporated additional flights into today’s schedule to help accommodate approximately 10,000 travelers.
Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for the most current updates related to their flights.
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Mark Gerts
The closure of Heathrow, the busiest airport in Europe, due to a substation fire has made headlines in British newspapers, reflecting a significant impact with over 1,350 flight cancellations affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The Guardian highlights the chaos, leading with the headline “Chaos and anger as fire shuts Heathrow airport,” featuring images of distressed travelers and discussing governmental inquiries about the reliability of airport infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Times emphasizes accountability with “Heathrow chaos puts bosses in firing line,” including insights about ruined holidays and stranded passengers.
The Daily Telegraph describes the event as a “Colossal failure of Heathrow blackout,” with commentary from Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy, acknowledging the vulnerabilities exposed by the incident.
A variety of airlines, including British Airways (BA), Air Canada, and United Airlines, reported plans to resume flights in and out of Heathrow.
A BA flight to Riyadh departed shortly before 9 PM, albeit with a slight delay, according to reports.
The Department for Transport indicated that overnight flight restrictions have been temporarily lifted to alleviate congestion.
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Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association, voiced criticism of Heathrow following the disruption. He stated:
Heathrow has once again let down both travelers and airlines with this incident.
This brings up the essential issue of who is responsible for covering the costs of looking after disrupted passengers.
We must establish a fairer framework for passenger care costs, rather than placing the entire burden on airlines when infrastructure fails. Without such a change, Heathrow lacks incentive to enhance its services.
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Heathrow chief executive defends response as he apologises to stranded passengers
Following the resolution of the power issues, the chief executive of Heathrow extended apologies to passengers who were stranded and defended the airport’s response to the unprecedented power loss caused by a substation fire.
According to reports, Thomas Woldbye, chief executive of Heathrow, characterized the fire that disabled an electricity substation in Hayes as one of the most severe incidents in the airport’s history, noting the inherent risks of such situations.
As part of the response, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they are not treating the incident as suspicious, while the London Fire Brigade (LFB) focuses its investigation on the damaged electrical equipment.
Describing the situation, Woldbye explained that a failure of a backup transformer forced the airport to shut down systems as a safety precaution, complicating efforts to redistribute power from other substations.
Approximately 200,000 travelers were impacted by the disruption at what is Europe’s busiest travel hub. Woldbye expressed confidence that operations would largely resume by Saturday, although British Airways estimated that only about 85% of their scheduled flights would be operational.
He stated:
I must emphasize that this incident was of a major scale. We encountered a power loss equivalent to that of a mid-sized city, and while our backup systems functioned correctly, they were insufficient to power the entire airport.
In response to concerns about the reliability of the airport’s power supply, he acknowledged that while certain risks can be anticipated, complete prevention is not feasible.
This incident is significant, and we are recovering swiftly given the number of systems that needed to be safely restored.
He noted:
This is unprecedented for us. Such a situation has never occurred before, justifying the designation of this incident as major.
Woldbye affirmed his commitment to reviewing the circumstances that led to this disruption and welcomed any inquiry from the Prime Minister.
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British Airways (BA) anticipates operating around 85% of its usual schedule at Heathrow on Saturday, following the lengthy closure due to the fire incident, as reported.
Typically, BA runs nearly 600 departures and arrivals on Saturdays, but it is anticipated that cancellations will be made on certain high-volume routes.
A spokesperson indicated:
We intend to maximize the number of flights operating on Saturday, but recovering our operations post-incident presents complex challenges.
Thus, while we anticipate around 85% of the schedule to proceed, delays for all customers are expected as we manage the implications of Friday’s outage.
Our priority is to ensure safe and prompt travel for our customers and staff. We will be reaching out to all affected passengers to inform them of their available options, and we appreciate their patience as we resolve these issues.
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In contrast to criticism leveled at the airport, the UK transport secretary has defended Heathrow’s actions, asserting the “unprecedented situation” was “completely outside of Heathrow’s control.”
Heidi Alexander remarked:
Heathrow’s response was swift, and they worked effectively with emergency responders and airline operators. Their backup energy systems did not fail; however, these are designed to maintain critical systems but not enough to power the full airport.
Travelers should continue to check their flight status before heading to the airport. Despite the enormous scale of this situation, the response has been prompt, although I recognize the significant distress and disruption experienced by so many.
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British Airways: ‘huge impact’ on passengers expected for days
After power was restored, British Airways, which operates approximately half of all flights at Heathrow, resumed long-haul services on Friday evening.
Chief Executive Sean Doyle indicated that BA had “effectively grounded our flying operations,” cancelling every short-haul and the majority of long-haul flights scheduled that day.
“Regrettably, this will have a significant impact on our customers over the coming days,” he remarked.
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Heathrow ‘open and fully operational’
As stated earlier, Heathrow Airport confirms that it has resumed operations following the recent power outage and is now “fully operational.”
Hundreds of personnel have been reassigned to assist in managing the backlog of flights.
The recent statement read:
Heathrow is now open and fully operational. Our teams are dedicated to assisting passengers who were impacted by the outage at the off-airport power substation.
More than 10,000 additional travelers will be accommodated today thanks to the increase in available flights.
We urge passengers to check with their airlines for flight updates today.
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Former GCHQ chief ‘surprised’ at length of closure
David Omand, the former head of the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ), expressed surprise at the prolonged closure of the airport.
He stated:
Considering Heathrow’s significance, I find it astonishing that the airport had to close completely for a day.
While some disruption is expected during transitions to alternative systems, such an extensive shutdown — especially for an entire day — is a national embarrassment and should have been avoided.
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Due to the operational adjustments, residents in London can expect increased aircraft noise at night over the following days, as restrictions on night flights have been lifted to manage the backlog of flights.
Downing Street previously indicated there were “questions to answer” about the situation following the fire that led to Heathrow’s operational shutdown, which impacted over 1,350 flights and caused significant inconvenience for many.
Authorities from counter-terrorism were leading the investigation into the “unprecedented” disruption but confirmed there was “no indication of foul play.” Two sources familiar with the investigation noted that there was little reason to suspect criminal activity, and the fire appeared to be accidental. Police verified that there were no suspicions surrounding the incident.
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Flights begin landing at Heathrow after day of travel chaos
Welcome back to our live coverage regarding the ongoing travel interruptions caused by the recent closure of Heathrow Airport.
On Saturday morning, flights commenced landing as the airport sought to normalize operations following the prior power loss.
To manage congestion, the Department for Transport announced that overnight flight restrictions were temporarily lifted, and travelers should approach the airport as they typically would.
British Airways indicated plans to operate around 85% of its usual flight schedule for Saturday, recognizing that while typical operations would involve nearly 600 departures and arrivals, certain cancellations would occur, especially on high-frequency routes.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that the first flight to land at Heathrow after the incident was British Airways flight BA56 from Johannesburg, South Africa, touching down at 4:37 AM on Saturday.
We will continue to provide updates throughout the day as events unfold.
Source
www.theguardian.com