Downing Street says there are “questions to answer” after a fire at a current substation has shut down London’s Heathrow Airport, shutting down around 1,300 planes and disrupting the journey of hundreds of thousands of global passengers.
Counterterrorism police are leading an investigation into an “unprecedented” incident in which engineers were unable to make the UK’s biggest airport work as they tried to restore power, but said there were “no indications of a foul play.”
The two well-versed in the investigation said officials did not believe the fire was the result of criminal activity or hostile conditions and were likely to be accidental.
Heathrow announced that it would partially reopen on Friday evening, but the airline warned that the closure could have “a major impact” on passengers in the coming days. The airport said it hopes to do full operation on Saturday.
The minister acknowledged the “immense pain and confusion” caused by passengers and vowed to “learn lessons.”
Asked about the investigation and whether there are any questions that National Grid should answer, the official spokesman for the Prime Minister added:
Passengers were warned to stay away from Heathrow all Friday after London Firefighters were called to tackle a flame that began shortly after 11pm at the substation in Hayes, West London, north of the airport.
More than 70 firefighters worked in “challenging and dangerous” conditions to control the fire, but the LFB was on fire by 8am Friday, with 25,000 liters of oil set on fire at the substation. Officers said that despite the irritating smell, there was generally no danger to air quality.
Power to 67,000 homes was also cut off for several hours, with over 100 people evacuated.
More than 1,350 flights with more than 200,000 passengers were scheduled to be with Heathrow on Friday, connecting to around 230 destinations and the main gateway to the US from Europe. When the closure was announced overnight, around 120 long-distance flights to Heathrow were in the air, with arrivals decoupling to other airports around the UK and Europe.
Carol Ye and Blair Burton from Canada receive information about flights to Heathrow from Fiumicino Airport near Rome. Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
Londoners will be more disturbed by nighttime aircraft noise than would normally be allowed in the coming days after lifting restrictions on night flights to facilitate backlogs.
Heathrow has experienced significant disruptions from external events such as the August 2023 air traffic control suspension and massive grounding during the COVID crisis, but the last time the airport was completely closed was closed during heavy snowfall and freezing conditions in December 2010, when 4,000 flights were cancelled.
Senior Security and Aviation figures expressed surprise that the world’s best connected airports could be closed for very long due to power outages.
The International Air Transport Association said it was “a separate case where Heathrow drops both travelers and airlines.” Willie Walsh, director of Iata, added: “What about critical infrastructure relying entirely on a single power source without any alternatives? If that’s the case, it’s a clear failure of the airport to plan.”
Sir David Omando, former head of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), spoke to one of the BBC worlds.
“I mean you can understand confusion while changing into alternative systems, etc., but for a period of day such a complete failure – and those who know that confusion will last longer, are the embarrassment of the public. It should not have happened.”
However, Transportation Secretary Heidi Alexander defended the airport Friday night, saying the “unprecedented situation” was “a completely out of control for Heathrow.”
“They have quickly launched resilience plans and have worked closely with emergency responders and airline operators,” she said. “They have a backup energy supply, generators, diesel generators.
“Taking this opportunity, none of these failed because its backup supply was designed to protect critical key systems within the airport and not provide power to the entire airport.
“I still advise anyone who flew tomorrow to check in with the airline before traveling to the airport. However, given the size and size of the incident, the response was quick, but I am grateful for the great pain and confusion that has been there for so many people.”
Northhide current flames near Heathrow Airport early on Friday. Photo: Matthew Muirhead/AP
Heathrow CEO Thomas Waldy apologized to “many people who influenced the trip.” But “I would like to emphasize that this is a case of great severity. It’s not a small fire.”
Metropolitan Police said they will work with the London Fire Service to establish the cause of the fire under investigation. A spokesperson said: “There are currently no indications of foul play, but I am still open-minded at this point.”
The detective prepared to steal the substation and some of its equipment and looked into signs of interference. It is understood that initial checks of CCTV covering the perimeter of the substation showed nothing suspicious.
Counterterrorism detectives are expected to remain in this case until alternative explanations are provided as to why the fire occurred.
“It’s a very rare and very serious incident in our network, and we cannot verify “rumors and speculation” about the cause of the fire,” said Alice Delahunty, president of National Grid’s transmission business.
She added: “We are not in a position to control anything. Our focus has returned to supply safely to homes and businesses. We have time for a complete and thorough investigation, but the focus has been on power recovery.”
A Heathrow spokesman said he would initially work with the airline to deport passengers who have been converted to other European airports. “Our priorities are keeping passengers and people working at the airport safe. As Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow uses just as much energy as a small city, so it takes time to return to full and safe operations.
British Airways, which operates about half of all Heathrow Flights, was scheduled to fly eight long-distance services on Friday evening after power was restored.
Sean Doyle said the BA was “forced to effectively ground flight operations” due to the incident, canceling most of all scheduled short and long-distance flights on Friday. “Unfortunately, it will have a huge impact on all of our customers flying with us over the next few days,” he said.
