Heathrow Airport Returns to Full Operations Following Power Outage

Heathrow Airport is now “fully operational,” according to a spokesperson, just one day after a significant fire at a nearby power station brought travel chaos to Europe’s busiest air hub.

“We can confirm that Heathrow is open and fully operational today,” announced the spokesperson. “Our teams are working diligently across the airport to assist passengers impacted by yesterday’s outage at an off-airport power substation.”

To expedite the recovery process, additional staff have been deployed, and extra flights have been added to the day’s schedule, set to accommodate an additional 10,000 travelers navigating through the airport. “Passengers traveling today should check with their airline for the latest updates regarding their flights,” the spokesperson advised.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they do not consider the incident at the power substation to be suspicious. Meanwhile, investigations by the London Fire Brigade are centered on the electrical distribution equipment involved.

On the day of the outage, Heathrow was expected to manage 1,351 flights, catering to approximately 291,000 passengers. However, many flights were redirected to other airports across the UK and Europe, and numerous long-haul services returned to their points of origin.

Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, expressed optimism for a full recovery, stating, “I expect the airport to be back in full operation today—essentially, 100% operational as if it were a normal day.” He also emphasized that travelers should arrive at the airport as they ordinarily would, without feeling the need to arrive early.

Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that British Airways flight BA56 from Johannesburg marked the first regular passenger arrival since the outage, landing at 4:37 AM. British Airways, a major player at Heathrow, forecasts operating around 85% of its usual flights today.

Although the airline typically manages nearly 600 departures and arrivals, it is understood that flight cancellations may occur on high-frequency routes. In a statement, a spokesperson explained, “We are planning to operate as many flights as possible to and from Heathrow on Saturday; however, recovering operations of our size after such a significant incident is extremely complex. We expect delays for all traveling customers as we navigate the challenges from Friday’s power outage.”

In an effort to alleviate congestion, the Department of Transport temporarily lifted restrictions on overnight flights. While there is no formal ban, night flights have been limited since the 1960s, with strict caps on nighttime take-offs and landings.

Mr. Woldbye clarified that a failed backup transformer forced a shutdown of systems as a safety precaution, prompting them to restructure power supplies from the remaining substations. “This incident is about as significant as it gets for our airport, and we recognize that we can’t protect ourselves 100% from such events,” he noted, extending apologies to passengers affected by the disruption.

Initially scheduled to close until 11:59 PM, Heathrow pivoted quickly to allow repatriation flights for those redirected during the crisis. Consequently, several airlines, including British Airways, Air Canada, and United Airlines, resumed their scheduled services to and from the airport.

The chaos impacted around 200,000 passengers, amplifying concerns in the airline industry over potential financial ramifications totaling tens of millions of pounds. Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), likened the incident to a “clear planning failure by the airport,” reflecting skepticism about how essential infrastructure could fail without substantial backup systems.

Aviation experts echoed these sentiments, recalling that the last disruption of this magnitude across European airports was due to the 2010 Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, which grounded about 100,000 flights. They cautioned that some passengers who were forced to land across Europe might experience difficulties if they lacked the proper documentation to exit airport facilities.

Despite the chaos, flights between Ireland and Heathrow have resumed, with Dublin Airport’s operator expecting 30 of the 32 scheduled flights to operate today. However, disruptions lingered, with 34 flights canceled between Dublin and Heathrow on the prior day.

Aer Lingus is working to maintain its regular schedule to and from Heathrow, allowing passengers affected by cancellations to either request refunds or change flights online at no extra charge. “As always, we encourage passengers to reach out to their airline directly for the latest flight updates,” a DAA representative stated.

As operations begin to stabilize, airports such as Shannon Airport have confirmed a return to normal service, accommodating flights including those diverted during the outage. Similarly, Cork Airport and Ireland West Airport have also resumed standard schedules.

All eyes will be on Heathrow as it rebounds from this incident, reminding us how interconnected and fragile our global travel systems can be.

Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.