An aerial {photograph} taken on March 21, 2025 exhibits smoke billowing from a substation supplying energy to Heathrow Airport amid efforts to douse the rest of the flames after a hearth broke out in Hayes, west London. Britain’s Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, was shut down early on March 21 for twenty-four hours after a significant fireplace at an electrical energy substation reduce energy to the sprawling facility west of London, officers stated. (Picture by AFP)
LONDON, United Kingdom — Counter-terror police on Friday launched a probe into an electrical energy substation fireplace that shut down Heathrow airport inflicting journey chaos for passengers world wide and the cancellation or diversion of lots of of flights from Europe’s busiest air hub.
Heathrow plies routes to round 80 nations and a few 1,350 flights had been on account of land or take off from the airport’s 5 terminals on Friday, in keeping with the net flight monitoring web site Flightradar24.
Some 230,000 passengers a day and 83 million a 12 months use Heathrow, making it one of many world’s busiest airports.
London’s Metropolitan Police stated the pressure’s Counter Terrorism Command was main enquiries given the “impression this incident has had on vital nationwide infrastructure.”
“Whereas there may be at the moment no indication of foul play we retain an open thoughts at the moment,” a spokesman added.
Firefighters had been known as to the “extremely seen” blaze on the substation shortly after 2320 GMT on Thursday and round 70 had been despatched to battle the hearth, which was introduced beneath management by 0800 GMT.
UK Vitality Secretary Ed Miliband promised that the federal government would do all it might to revive energy to Heathrow rapidly, as questions had been raised in regards to the airport’s “resilience.”
Electrical energy distribution community Nationwide Grid stated round 1400 GMT that energy had been partially restored to Heathrow in addition to to native residents affected.
Disruption
The shutdown left many annoyed passengers struggling to make different preparations.
“I had deliberate this journey three months in the past… I’ve spent a lot cash on tickets and all the pieces,” stated Muhammad Khalil, 28, who was booked on a flight to Pakistan to be reunited along with his spouse after 5 months.
“You’ll be able to’t think about how demanding it’s for me,” he instructed AFP.
British Airways stated the closure of its fundamental hub would have a “important impression” on its operations and prospects.
“We’re working as rapidly as attainable to replace them on their journey choices for the subsequent 24 hours and past,” it stated.
Talia Fokaides, 42, was supposed to depart London on Friday morning for Athens however rushed to Gatwick to get a brand new ticket when she heard the information.
Her mom was having open coronary heart surgical procedure later within the day.
“I simply should be there,” she instructed AFP, her voice shaking with emotion.
Diverted
Round 120 Heathrow-bound planes had been within the air when the closure was introduced, in keeping with Flightradar24.
The UK’s second busiest airport, Gatwick, stated it might settle for some flights from Heathrow. Others had been diverted to European airports together with Shannon in southwestern Eire, Frankfurt, and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
London Hearth Brigade deputy commissioner Jonathan Smith stated firefighters had labored “tirelessly in difficult and really hazardous situations.”
He instructed reporters the hearth had concerned a “transformer comprising of 25,000 litres of cooling oil totally alight” posing a hazard as a result of substation’s “nonetheless reside excessive voltage gear.”
One resident recalled listening to a “large explosion” as the ability reduce out simply earlier than midnight whereas one other reported seeing a “vivid flash of white.”
Round 150 individuals had been evacuated from close by properties due to the hearth.
The outage left 100,000 houses with out energy in a single day with all besides 4,000 restored by morning.
Questions
As the size of the disruption started to emerge, Miliband confronted questions on how one fireplace might shut down a complete airport.
He stated Nationwide Grid had instructed him they’d not seen “something like the size” of what occurred.
“Nevertheless it makes Heathrow look fairly susceptible and due to this fact we’ve acquired to study classes, as I say, about not simply Heathrow however how we defend our main infrastructure,” he instructed ITV information.
Willie Walsh, director normal of airline trade commerce affiliation IATA, stated the closure was “one more case of Heathrow letting down each travellers and airways”.
“How is it that vital infrastructure — of nationwide and international significance — is completely depending on a single energy supply with out an alternate,” he wrote on X.
“If that’s the case — because it appears — then it’s a clear planning failure by the airport.”
Flights from all around the world had been affected by the closure and aviation marketing consultant Philip Butterworth-Hayes instructed AFP it might price “greater than £50 million ($64.7 million)” to the airport and airways.
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Located 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of central London, Heathrow’s fundamental flight locations final 12 months had been Dublin, Los Angeles, Madrid and New York.
