UK orders investigation into Heathrow shutdown following fire

Passengers face ongoing delays as Heathrow and government authorities investigate the cause of the outage.

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The British government has launched an urgent investigation into the country’s energy resilience after a fire at an electrical substation caused nearly 18 hours of disruption at Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest air hub.

The fire, which broke out on Friday morning, led to power cuts affecting both the airport and more than 60,000 homes in the surrounding area. Thousands of passengers were left stranded, and more than 1,300 flights were cancelled as authorities scrambled to manage the fallout.

Despite the airport resuming full operations on Saturday, British Airways, the airport’s largest carrier, warned of continuing delays and cancellations over the next few days.

The airline was able to operate around 90% of its flights on Saturday, but many travelers still faced significant disruption.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has instructed the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to investigate the fire and assess the implications for the UK’s energy resilience, especially for critical national infrastructure. The results of the investigation are expected within six weeks.

“This is a huge embarrassment for Heathrow and for the country,” said Toby Harris, chair of the National Preparedness Commission, highlighting the vulnerability of vital services like airports to such failures.

Heathrow has also ordered an internal review, led by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, to evaluate how the airport managed the crisis and its response to the incident.

The airport’s backup power systems were activated, but they proved insufficient to support operations for the entire facility, which relies on a vast amount of energy.

Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), called the incident a “clear planning failure,” questioning how Heathrow’s critical infrastructure could rely on a single power source without a contingency plan.

The disruption left thousands of passengers in limbo, including those on long-haul flights who were diverted to other airports. Mark Doherty, whose flight from New York to Heathrow turned back halfway across the Atlantic, described the situation as “typical England,” adding that there appeared to be no contingency for such events.

Authorities have ruled out foul play, and the London Fire Brigade has launched an investigation into the cause of the blaze. However, the significant impact of the incident has raised serious questions about the state of the UK's infrastructure and its ability to withstand emergencies.

Heathrow is now working to facilitate the movement of an additional 10,000 passengers, and despite some cancellations, operations are expected to resume close to normal over the weekend. However, the repercussions of the outage may continue to affect travelers for days.