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Heathrow Airport has resumed normal operations following a shutdown that lasted two days due to a fire at an electrical substation, which led to a significant power outage.
As Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow witnessed the cancellation of over 1,000 flights on Friday after the fire occurred at a substation located in Hayes, west London.
Flights were able to recommence on Saturday, with the airport accommodating more than 250,000 passengers over the weekend. By Sunday, operations continued with only minor delays reported for some flights.
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has instructed the National Energy System Operator (Neso) to conduct an investigation into the cause of the outage. Additionally, an internal review of Heathrow’s crisis management strategies and its response to the situation will be led by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly.
According to The Sunday Times, Thomas Woldbye, the airport’s chief executive, chose to delegate the decision to close the airport to his deputy, Javier Echave, on Thursday evening, as senior officials were split into two “gold command” teams. One team worked through the night, while the other rested for the morning shift.
Heathrow representatives explained that this strategy was implemented to ensure Woldbye would be well-rested ahead of deciding the airport’s reopening.
A spokesperson for Heathrow stated: “Today, we will operate a full schedule of over 1,300 flights. We sincerely apologize for the disruption caused by our decision to close the airport after the significant fire at the off-site power substation. On Saturday, we facilitated travel for more than 250,000 passengers, maintaining punctuality in flights and ensuring that almost all passengers experienced security waits of less than five minutes.
“We appreciate the government’s decision to investigate the cause and response to the power outage, and we have initiated a review, headed by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, regarding Heathrow’s response. While these assessments are underway, our primary focus remains on serving our passengers effectively.”
The disruption of power occurred Thursday night due to the fire in Hayes, which led to the airport’s closure and a directive for passengers not to travel. Eventually, operations for takeoffs and landings resumed on Friday evening.
Heathrow, recognized as Europe’s largest airport, managed over 83.9 million travelers passing through its terminals in 2024. The events of Friday’s closure impacted around 200,000 passengers.
Woldbye indicated that a back-up transformer failed during the outage, necessitating system shutdowns as a safety precaution. Power was then rerouted from two remaining substations to ensure that sufficient electricity was available for airport operations, which has been likened to managing a “mid-sized city.”
Initially, counter-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan Police led the inquiry into the fire, but it has been determined that the incident is not suspected to be a criminal act, allowing the London Fire Brigade to take over the investigation. This inquiry will focus on the electrical distribution systems involved.
Heathrow’s chair, Paul Deighton, announced the review led by Kelly on Saturday night, aiming to evaluate the airport’s response during the crisis.
Lord Deighton stated, “The Kelly review will thoroughly assess all pertinent materials related to the effectiveness and implementation of Heathrow’s crisis management plans, the airport’s immediate reactions during the incident, and how operations were restored, with the goal of identifying areas for improvement in our future resilience.”
Source
www.theguardian.com