Heathrow Airport Resumes Operations After Power Outage

2 weeks ago 5

Heathrow Airport announced that it is "open and fully operational" after a fire at an off-site electrical substation caused a major power outage that completely shutdown the airport, resulting in significant travel disruptions around the globe.

Extra flights have been added on Saturday to accommodate an additional 10,000 passengers affected by Friday's closure. Hundreds of additional staff will also be on hand at the airport to assist travelers impacted by the incident.

The UK's National Grid confirmed that power supplies have been restored to all customers connected to the North Hyde substation, including Heathrow.

Aviation analytics company Cirium noted that approximately 290,000 passengers were expected to be impacted by Friday's closure, with another 270,000 potentially affected on Saturday. The fire disrupted 669 scheduled flights with 145,836 seats on Friday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but London's Metropolitan Police have said that they are not treating the incident as suspicious. Due to the substation's location and its impact on critical national infrastructure, the investigation is being led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command.

Both Heathrow Airport and the National Grid have apologized for the disruption caused to travelers.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.