restored order: london heathrow back in operation following power outage mayhem
Airport London Heathrow resumes operations following power outage.
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London Heathrow, the world's busiest airport, resumed operations after a power outage that plunged it into turmoil. The incident sent shockwaves through the global air traffic industry.
After the unexpected power outage at London's Heathrow, operations at the airport are resuming bit by bit. By Friday night, individual planes were lugging themselves back to the runways. Airport chief, Thomas Woldbye, assured a return to full operation by Saturday morning. Passengers are advised to proceed to the airport as usual, with no need for early arrivals. British Airways, the national carrier, aims to operate around 85% of its scheduled flights on Saturday, though delays are expected until normality is restored. The UK's Department for Transport temporarily lifted restrictions on night flights to alleviate the airport's load.
Television News Channels Local News Outlets "Never seen this before," said airport chief Woldbye hours after a ferocious fire in a transformer station that also supplies the airport. The cause of the fire that crippled the airport for hours remained a mystery. Transport Minister, Heidi Alexander, declared there was no evidence of sabotage. Nevertheless, anti-terror investigators from the police were examining the matter, as the fire was close to a "vital part of national infrastructure."
The airport's CEO emphasized the severity of the incident. "It's not a minor fire," Woldbye asserted. The power outage was akin to that of a mid-sized city. The backup systems, designed for emergencies, performed as intended, securing emergency landings and evacuations. However, they "were not built to sustain the entire airport," explained Woldbye.
Approximately 200,000 Passengers Affected
The full extent of the destruction remains unclear. Over 200,000 passengers were impacted according to the UK's Press Association. The costs for the airport and airlines are anticipated to reach into the tens of millions, a Sky News expert opined. Around 9,000 stranded passengers in Germany could not fly due to the power outage at Heathrow.
Television News Channels Local News Outlets The outage at the world's busiest airport—in terms of passenger traffic, as revealed by Sky—created a domino effect globally, affecting passengers and flight crews. Social media was flooded with accounts of people being stranded or having to turn back flights while en route to Heathrow.
The fire alarm sounded in the early hours of Friday, with about 70 firefighters battling the inferno in the transformer station. "We have three of these transformer stations, and each has a backup," said Woldbye. "But in this case, it too was damaged. So, we weren't completely powerless, but we had to reconfigure our power supply." The systems were shut down for this purpose. "This is a safety measure we will not circumvent," Woldbye stated. Investigating an incident of this magnitude takes time, announced Woldbye. "Everything will be scrutinized meticulously." Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, shared that he is being regularly updated. "Many thanks to our emergency services for ensuring the safety of the public," Starmer penned.
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The enrichment data refers to an incident in March 2025 when a power outage occurred at Heathrow Airport. The power outage was caused by a fire in an electrical substation 4km northeast of the airport, leading to the airport's partial shutdown on March 21, 2025. The cause of the firewas not found to be suspicious, but counter-terrorism officers continued their investigation due to the significant impact on the airport. The incident resulted in the cancellation of around 1,300 flights, affecting approximately 200,000 passengers. The backup power systems performed during this incident, although they were not designed for full airport operation. No single point of failure was noticed as Heathrow has multiple supply points, two of which continued to provide power during the incident. The UK government ordered a probe into the incident and Heathrow's operator sought an independent review of its resilience.
- In response to the incident, the UK's Department for Transport reorganized night flight restrictions to aid in alleviating the airport's load following the power outage at Heathrow.
- British Airways, the national carrier, has implemented a new employment policy to accommodate the staff shortage triggered by the stranded passengers due to the power outage at Heathrow, aiming to operate around 85% of its scheduled flights on Saturday.
- The community policy at Heathrow Airport has been reviewed in the wake of the March 2025 power outage to ensure the airport is equipped to handle similar emergencies in the future, focusing on preventing a repeat of the widespread disruption.
