London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest in the world, has been shut down after a serious power failure caused by a fire in an electricity substation in North Hyde, Hayes, in west London. The large fire caused widespread power outages not only at the airport but also in nearby residential and commercial areas. The London Fire Brigade deployed ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters to combat the blaze, which was eventually brought under control but not before it had caused extensive disruptions.
The blackout caused the closure of Heathrow Airport until midnight Friday, disrupting tens of thousands of travelers. The airport advised travelers not to travel to the airport and to contact airlines for further updates. The failure will have a knock-on effect, affecting flights globally and potentially causing chaos for days to follow.
Heathrow Airport flies to over 200 destinations in nearly 90 countries and territories, handling a record of nearly 84 million passengers last year. The closure of such a major hub has a ripple effect on air travel, with at least 1,351 flights canceled, the flight tracking services report. Aviation experts have predicted that it might take several days for operations to return to normal, given the scale of disruption.
The shutdown has hit major carriers including British Airways, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines. British Airways has diverted its flights to other airports in the UK where it’s possible to do so, while trying to let passengers know about their alternatives. Emirates cancelled six flights in and out of Heathrow, advised passengers not to travel and told them they won’t know more until further notice. Singapore Airlines diverted some of its flights to Frankfurt and Paris, while United Airlines canceled all its flights going to Heathrow on Friday.
Air India also canceled all its flights to and from Heathrow, rerouting some flights to Frankfurt. Cathay Pacific and Swiss Airlines also canceled flights and suspended sales for the next day. The disruption has stranded or greatly delayed many passengers, with some flights rerouted to secondary airports such as Amsterdam, Manchester, and Gatwick.
The incident helps to highlight the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to unexpected events. The UK energy secretary stated that the fire disabled Heathrow’s backup power supplies, bringing into doubt the resilience of essential systems. While there are no indications of intentional involvement, the cause of the fire remains under examination.
Local residents were advised to close their windows and doors due to the large clouds of smoke from the fire. Firefighters safely evacuated 29 individuals from nearby properties, and a 200-meter safety cordon was established, leading to the evacuation of about 150 people.
The closure of Heathrow Airport stops flying in and out but stops local flow. Airport roads are even occupied. However, it stops all flying in a much more definitive way and severely stops local UK airports that rely on temporary stops. Experts in aviation say the extension will most probably last beyond 72 hours. Other British airports – notably Gatwick have had temporary stops but so far could only absorb a small number of displaced stops.
