London’s Heathrow Airport faced significant travel disruptions after a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a major power outage. Thousands of passengers were affected as flights were delayed or canceled, leading to chaos at one of the world’s busiest airports.
The fire broke out at the North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes, located just over a mile from Heathrow, late Thursday night. Firefighters worked quickly to contain the blaze, preventing injuries, but the damage led to a large-scale power failure. As a result, nearly 67,000 homes and businesses in the area also experienced blackouts.
With Heathrow relying on power from the affected substation, the outage led to an immediate suspension of flights. An estimated 1,357 flights were either delayed or canceled, affecting close to 300,000 passengers. Many inbound flights were diverted to other airports, while outbound travelers were advised not to come to the airport.
By Friday evening, Heathrow gradually restarted operations, prioritizing incoming flights and the repositioning of aircraft. Airport officials assured the public that normal operations would resume as quickly as possible, with a full recovery expected by Saturday morning.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, though initial reports suggest there was no foul play. The incident has raised concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, as a single substation failure managed to disrupt one of the world’s largest transport hubs.
The disruption resulted in significant financial losses for airlines and businesses connected to Heathrow. British Airways and other major carriers were heavily impacted, with flight cancellations causing logistical and financial strain. The event also disrupted cargo shipments, adding to the economic fallout.
The Heathrow outage has highlighted the need for more resilient infrastructure to prevent similar incidents in the future. While flights have resumed, the disruption underscores the importance of backup systems to safeguard operations at key transport hubs.