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Heathrow Airport Resumes Operations After Electrical Fire Disruption

London Heathrow Airport announced it was “fully operational” on Saturday following a nearly daylong closure caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Despite the resumption of operations, airlines cautioned that significant disruptions would likely persist for several days as they work to relocate aircraft and crews while accommodating stranded passengers.

The airport’s management expressed pride in Heathrow’s response to the fire. However, affected travelers, frustrated airline representatives, and wary politicians demanded explanations regarding how a single accidental fire could incapacitate one of Europe’s busiest air travel hubs.

In an official statement, Heathrow noted, “We have hundreds of additional colleagues on hand in our terminals and we have added flights to today’s schedule to facilitate an extra 10,000 passengers traveling through the airport.” Travelers were urged to confirm their flight status with airlines before making their way to the airport.

British Airways, the largest carrier operating at Heathrow, projected that it would manage approximately 85 percent of its 600 scheduled flights on Saturday, highlighting the complexity involved in recovering operations of such scale after a major incident.

The fire, which erupted at a substation located just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the airport, led to the cancellation of over 1,300 flights and left approximately 200,000 individuals stranded on Friday. The blaze also disrupted power supply to more than 60,000 properties.

Eyewitnesses from west London reported hearing a loud explosion followed by a fireball and billowing smoke as the substation caught fire. Authorities managed to bring the situation under control after approximately seven hours; however, Heathrow remained closed for nearly 18 hours, resulting in only a handful of flights being able to land and take off late Friday.

Law enforcement indicated that the fire was not being treated as suspicious, while the London Fire Brigade is focusing its investigation on the electrical distribution equipment at the site. The far-reaching consequences of the fire raised criticisms regarding Britain’s aging infrastructure and its capability to handle emergencies or significant disruptions.

The British government acknowledged the need for answers and pledged a thorough investigation to ensure that similar incidents do not lead to such widespread disruption in the future. Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye expressed his pride in how airport and airline personnel handled the situation, clarifying that “the situation was not created at Heathrow Airport.” He attributed the brief nature of the airport’s closure to the effective operation of its backup power systems, although he acknowledged that these resources were insufficient to power the entire airport complex.

Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports, serviced 83.9 million passengers in the previous year. Amidst the chaos, around 120 flights were in the air when the airport closure was announced, leading to diversions to other cities and even countries.

Friday’s disruptions have been described as one of the most severe since the 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland, which led to significant airspace shutdowns across Europe. Mark Doherty, a passenger en route from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Heathrow, recounted his disbelief as the inflight map indicated a return to New York. “I was like, you’re joking,” Doherty recalled, emphasizing a perceived lack of contingency plans for unexpected events.

Source
globalnews.ca