Heathrow Airport resumed partially after a massive disruption brought on by an 18-hour blackout canceled and diverted at least 1,350 flights and stranded about 200,000 passengers. The blackout was triggered by a fire at an electrical substation near the airport late Thursday night.
The blackout began as a result of a fire at a substation some 2 miles (3.2 km) from Heathrow. Firefighters fought the blaze for almost seven hours before they were able to contain it. The authorities have excluded foul play, but the London Fire Brigade has opened an investigation into the electrical appliances in the substation to identify the cause of the fire.
More than 1,350 Flights Affected
Heathrow Airport experienced widespread disruption as at least 1,350 flights were canceled or diverted, reported news agency AP. Passengers suffered long delays, and experts cautioned that the effect would extend to days as airlines rescheduled and passengers made other arrangements.
When power was restored, Heathrow Airport reopened partially. The first to touch down just before sunset on Friday was a British Airways flight, which signaled the resumption of operations. Further flights trickled in, among them a domestic one from Manchester.
A British Airways flight to Riyadh departed earlier than 9 PM on Friday, and the airline said it would be operating eight overnight long-haul flights. Heathrow Airport strived to resume its complete flight timetable by Saturday.
Explosion and Fireball Reported in West London
West London residents described a deafening explosion, followed by a fireball and heavy smoke, as the substation blaze broke out. About 120 flights were in the air at the time of the shutdown—some were diverted back, while others were redirected to other airports, such as Gatwick, Charles de Gaulle, and Shannon.
Heathrow Airport CEO Apologizes for Disruptions
Airport authorities assured passengers that normal operations would be back by Saturday morning.
“Tomorrow morning, we expect to be back in full operation, to 100% operation as a normal day,” Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said. “What I’d like to do is to apologise to the many people who have had their travel affected. We are very sorry about all the inconvenience.”
The authorities of the airport also put out a statement on the disruption, “Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage. To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
With operations now slowly being brought back to normal, impacted passengers are requested to contact their airlines for rescheduled flights and updates.
