Heathrow Airport: 1,300 Flights Disrupted as Fire and Power Outage Ground Operations at London
Heathrow Airport: 1,300 Flights Disrupted as Fire and Power Outage Ground Operations at London
Heathrow Airport: 1,300 Flights Disrupted as Fire and Power Outage Ground Operations at London .A major incident involving a fire and subsequent power outage has brought London’s Heathrow Airport to a standstill, causing significant disruptions to air travel. Approximately 1,300 flights have been affected, leaving passengers stranded and facing delays. Authorities are working to resolve the situation, but the impact is expected to ripple through the airport’s operations for hours, if not longer.
Heathrow Airport Warns of “Significant Disruption” Following Power Outage Caused by Substation Fire
Heathrow Airport has announced that it anticipates “significant disruption” over the coming days due to a power outage triggered by a fire at a nearby electrical substation. The airport had earlier stated that operations would remain suspended until at least midnight local time, with no flights departing today.
In the aftermath, local residents came together to support one another, even attempting to rescue a pregnant woman trapped in an elevator after the sudden power failure.
Authorities reported that nearly 5,000 energy customers remained without power this morning.
“The positive thing about this was how the residents got together and helped each other out,” said Meftun Temiz, a CloudOps Support Analyst at NBC News. “People were offering power banks to charge phones and candles for light.”
Temiz recounted how he and others tried to assist the pregnant woman stuck in the elevator before calling the fire brigade, who arrived within minutes.
“Thankfully, she was very calm about it,” he said, adding that power and water had since been restored to his home after being out for hours.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised concerns about how a fire at a single substation could lead to the shutdown of Europe’s busiest airport.
“There are questions to be answered. We expect those questions to be addressed, but our immediate focus is on ensuring the incident is handled appropriately,” a spokesperson for Starmer told British PA News.
“The fire is still burning, so there will be a time for those discussions, but the priority right now is resolving the situation,” the spokesperson added, noting that other U.K. airports are being assessed for their resilience.
Meanwhile, travelers at London’s Paddington Station were left scrambling for alternatives after Heathrow’s closure due to the widespread power outage. The incident has caused widespread frustration and uncertainty for passengers, with no immediate resolution in sight.
