Heathrow Airport faced unprecedented disruptions due to a fire at an electrical substation, forcing over 1,000 flight cancellations and prompting an investigation by counterterrorism police.
Heathrow Airport Resumes Operations After Major Substation Fire Disruption
Heathrow Airport Resumes Operations After Major Substation Fire Disruption
Thousands of flights grounded as authorities investigate cause of fire at London's Heathrow.
The chaos at Heathrow Airport unfolded on Friday, March 21, 2025, following a significant fire at an electrical substation near the facility, crippling one of Europe's key aviation hubs. Over 1,000 flights were either canceled or diverted as a result. Thomas Woldbye, the airport's chief executive, characterized the incident as “unprecedented,” indicating that power loss was equivalent to that required by a midsize city. Although a backup transformer functioned properly, it was inadequate to restore full energy to the airport.
As operations at Heathrow came to a standstill, the Metropolitan Police announced that, upon initial assessment, they would not treat the incident as suspicious, despite ongoing inquiries. The fire broke out in North Hyde, northeast of the airport, leading to concerns about the facility's dependence on a single electrical source.
Efforts to calculate the operational and financial fallout from the event were still underway, raising critical questions regarding the infrastructural resilience of the United Kingdom's busiest airport. By Friday evening, operations were gradually resuming, as marked by the arrival of a British Airways A380 from Gatwick, signaling the airport's comeback after the disruption.
As operations at Heathrow came to a standstill, the Metropolitan Police announced that, upon initial assessment, they would not treat the incident as suspicious, despite ongoing inquiries. The fire broke out in North Hyde, northeast of the airport, leading to concerns about the facility's dependence on a single electrical source.
Efforts to calculate the operational and financial fallout from the event were still underway, raising critical questions regarding the infrastructural resilience of the United Kingdom's busiest airport. By Friday evening, operations were gradually resuming, as marked by the arrival of a British Airways A380 from Gatwick, signaling the airport's comeback after the disruption.
