London Heathrow Airport Resumes Flights After Fire Causes Day-Long Travel Chaos

Flights at London’s Heathrow Airport resumed late Friday after a fire at an electrical substation knocked out power, forcing Europe’s busiest airport to shut down for an entire day. The closure stranded tens of thousands of passengers and disrupted global travel.

Airport authorities have confirmed that operations should be back to full capacity by Saturday, but travel disruptions are expected to linger for several days. Aviation experts estimate that the cost of the incident could exceed £50 million ($65 million) due to flight cancellations, refunds, hotel accommodations, and logistical complications.

Flights Resume, But Disruptions Continue

On Friday evening, British Airways confirmed that it had been granted clearance to resume operations and had begun dispatching long-haul flights. According to flight-tracking service FlightRadar24, among the first planes to take off were British Airways flights to Cape Town and Riyadh.

United Airlines, which had 17 scheduled departures to Heathrow on Friday, stated that it expected most of its flights to operate, though some delays were inevitable. Air Canada also confirmed that it would resume all scheduled flights to Heathrow on Friday night.

Cause of the Outage: Fire at Electrical Substation

The disruption was caused by a fire at the North Hyde electricity substation, which provides power to Heathrow. The blaze started on Thursday night, leading to a total blackout at the airport by early Friday morning.

By Friday afternoon, London Fire Brigade announced that 95% of the fire had been extinguished, but remnants were still burning. The fire resulted in a failure of Heathrow’s backup generators, leading to speculation about the airport’s preparedness for such emergencies.

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband acknowledged concerns about the airport’s resilience and infrastructure, “This was a catastrophic failure. Not only was the substation taken offline, but the backup generator also failed. We need to investigate why there weren’t alternative energy sources in place.”

Jonathan Smith, Deputy Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, stated that the cause of the fire was not considered suspicious but remained under investigation:

“We’ve been working closely with the Metropolitan Police. As of now, there’s no indication of foul play, but our fire investigation officers, supported by scientific advisors, will continue assessing the electrical distribution equipment.”

Despite assurances, London’s Metropolitan Police counterterrorism unit was involved in the probe due to the significant disruption caused by the incident.

Impact on Airlines and Economy

The sudden closure of Heathrow forced airlines to divert or cancel more than 1,000 flights, affecting over 230,000 passengers. Some flights were rerouted to Gatwick, Shannon (Ireland), Frankfurt, and Paris Charles de Gaulle, while others were sent back to their origin airports.

By Friday afternoon, shares in British Airways parent company IAG dropped 1.6% in London trading, while Air France-KLM stocks also saw a decline in Paris.

Scenes of Chaos at Heathrow

For passengers caught in the disruption, Heathrow’s closure turned into a day of confusion and frustration. Digital flight screens went blank, check-in counters were deserted, and passengers with suitcases waited outside terminals, seeking updates from airline staff.

Many travelers were stranded for hours without clear communication.

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