Flights have resumed at Heathrow Airport in London following a significant disruption caused by a substation fire that left numerous passengers stranded. In a heartfelt apology, the airport’s Chief Executive, Thomas Woldbye, addressed the situation, describing it as an “unprecedented” loss of power.
Mr. Woldbye classified the incident as “as big as it gets for our airport,” emphasizing that while safety measures were in place, “we cannot guard ourselves 100%.” The fire, which impacted an electricity substation in Hayes, West London, led to an extensive investigation by the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade (LFB), who confirmed they are not treating the event as suspicious and are now focusing on the electrical distribution equipment.
“The power outage was intensified by a backup transformer failure,” Mr. Woldbye explained, highlighting that systems were temporarily shut down to ensure safety while power supplies were reorganized from two remaining substations. “We have lost power equal to that of a mid-sized city,” he stated, reiterating that while the backup systems functioned as intended, they were not designed to operate the entire airport.
Initially, Heathrow announced it would be closed until 11:59 PM, but later lifted this restriction, allowing repatriation flights for affected passengers to resume the following evening. Key airlines, including British Airways, Air Canada, and United Airlines, also began reinstating scheduled flights to and from Heathrow. Additionally, the UK’s Department of Transport eased overnight flight restrictions to alleviate congestion.
Mr. Woldbye remarked, “I’d like to stress that this has been an incident of major severity. This is as big as it gets for our airport.” He continued, “This has been a major incident. Short of any injuries, it is indeed unprecedented in our operations.” Fortunately, the airport is expected to operate at full capacity tomorrow, allowing passengers to resume their travel as usual.
“We expect to return to 100% operation,” Mr. Woldbye stated, encouraging travelers to arrive at the airport at their normal time, without the need for early arrival.
In light of the chaos, UK Minister Ms. Alexander recognized the “immense distress and disruption” experienced by passengers during the airport’s closure, asserting that it was “totally out of Heathrow’s control.” She complimented their prompt implementation of a resilience plan and highlighted the collaboration with emergency responders and airline operators, although no backup systems failed as they were meant to protect critical systems, rather than supply power to the entire airport.
Passengers trapped in London scrambled to find alternative travel arrangements. Beau Mahr, 21, from Iowa, expressed, “When we first came here, it was very exciting and hopeful. Now that we have to wait, it’s kind of stressful.” Meanwhile, the repercussions of the fire extended beyond the airport, with thousands of homes experiencing power outages and over 100 evacuations following the blaze at the substation.
Heathrow Airport, recognized as Europe’s busiest, served over 83.9 million passengers in 2024. This incident marks the most significant disruption at Heathrow since December 2010, when extensive cancellations due to snow left many Christmas travelers stuck in the terminals.
Industry expert John Strickland compared the disruption to the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, remarking, “It’s a contained version of 9/11.” In a similar vein, Which? Travel editor Rory Boland advised that passengers affected by the disruption are not entitled to compensation, but airlines are responsible for providing necessary assistance, such as accommodation or re-routing through alternative airports.
According to LFB Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Smith, the fire involved a transformer with 25,000 liters of cooling oil fully ignited, creating a significant hazard due to the ongoing risk from live high-voltage equipment. Local residents described hearing a “massive explosion” before the power was cut, with one noting the smell of burning in the air.
Fortunately, the London Ambulance Service confirmed there were no casualties linked to the fire. Clips shared on social media illustrated the dramatic scene, featuring enormous flames and heavy smoke billowing from the facility.
In the wake of this unprecedented incident, Mr. Woldbye expressed a commitment to learning and improving from this experience, inviting the British Prime Minister to engage in discussions on the situation.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
