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:
“Power supply remains a weak point. While we have safeguards, certain extreme events remain beyond full control, and this was one of them.”
For the latest updates on Heathrow flight schedules and travel advisories, visit Heathrow Airport’s official website.
Heathrow Airport Official Website
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