Heathrow Flights Resume After Power Outage Disrupts Global Travel

Flights at Heathrow Airport, the busiest in Europe, resumed late Friday following a major fire that disrupted its power supply, forcing a full-day shutdown. The incident stranded thousands of passengers and caused widespread travel chaos globally.

Heathrow Airport Restores Operations After Major Disruption

According to Heathrow officials, extensive efforts were made to restore services at the world’s fifth-busiest airport after a fire broke out at a nearby substation on Thursday night. Passengers were advised to avoid the airport as operations came to a complete halt.

On Friday, Heathrow was scheduled to manage 1,351 flights, transporting approximately 291,000 travelers. However, the shutdown led to widespread flight diversions across Britain and Europe, while several long-haul flights were forced to return to their origin.

Limited Flights Before Full Operations Resume

The airport confirmed that a limited number of flights operated on Friday, primarily aimed at repositioning aircraft and facilitating arrivals into London. Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye expressed optimism about a full recovery, stating:

“By tomorrow morning, we anticipate resuming 100% of our normal operations. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to travelers.”

Investigation Underway But No Signs of Foul Play

Law enforcement authorities stated that while investigations are ongoing, there are no indications of suspicious activity linked to the incident. Meanwhile, the London Fire Brigade is focusing its probe on the electrical distribution system to determine the cause of the outage.

Financial Impact and Industry Concerns

The disruption has sparked frustration among airlines, questioning the vulnerability of such critical infrastructure. Industry analysts estimate potential financial losses reaching tens of millions of pounds, with looming disputes over liability.

Woldbye reassured that Heathrow’s contingency systems functioned as expected, adding: