Heathrow Airport fully operational after power outage disruption strands 2,00,000 passengers
Heathrow Airport is fully operational after a major power outage caused mass flight cancellations, affecting 2,00,000 passengers. Additional staff and flights have been deployed to clear the backlog as operations stabilize.
FollowLondon’s Heathrow Airport has resumed full operations following a major power outage that caused widespread disruption and flight cancellations. The airport confirmed on Saturday that services were back to normal, with additional staff deployed to assist passengers affected by the disruption.
In an official statement, Heathrow Airport said: “We can confirm that Heathrow is open and fully operational today. Teams across the airport continue to do everything they can to support passengers impacted by yesterday’s outage at an off-airport power substation.”
The disruption was triggered by a fire at an electrical substation in Hayes late on Thursday, which resulted in a significant power failure. Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, described the incident as “as big as it gets for our airport,” adding that while the airport has backup power sources, it could not completely guard against such an unprecedented failure, The Guardian reported.
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Authorities confirmed that the Metropolitan Police are not treating the incident as suspicious, while the London Fire Brigade is focusing its investigation on the electrical distribution system.
The outage led to the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights, affecting approximately 200,000 passengers. In response, the airport has added flights to its Saturday schedule to accommodate an additional 10,000 travelers. Heathrow also deployed hundreds of extra staff members across terminals to help clear the backlog and assist affected passengers.
British Airways, the largest airline operating at Heathrow, stated that it expects to operate around 85% of its scheduled flights on Saturday. The airline acknowledged that while efforts are being made to minimize disruptions, some passengers may still face delays. A British Airways spokesperson said, “We are planning to operate as many flights as possible to and from Heathrow, but recovering from such a significant incident is extremely complex.”
Despite the airport’s return to full functionality, passengers were advised to check with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. Heathrow Airport also apologized for the inconvenience caused and reassured travelers that all possible measures are being taken to prevent future disruptions of this scale.
As operations stabilize, the focus remains on ensuring smooth travel for passengers and restoring confidence in Heathrow’s resilience against unforeseen disruptions.
Also read: UK's Heathrow Airport resumes flights after massive power outage from substation fire
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