Heathrow Airport’s response to a power outage that caused chaos at Europe’s busiest airport has come under scrutiny. A fire at a substation supplying power to Heathrow led to thousands of canceled flights and stranded passengers worldwide on Friday. While the airport claimed to be “open and fully operational” on Saturday morning, questions have been raised about the resilience of the major transport hub.
Chief executive Thomas Woldbye defended the airport’s response to the “major incident,” stating that while there are backup power stations, they are not meant to power the entire airport. He emphasized the challenge of dealing with the amount of energy Heathrow consumes daily, comparing it to that of a city. Despite claims of overreliance on the affected substation, Woldbye maintained that the situation was beyond the airport’s control.
The closure drew criticism from Jason Bona, owner of logistics company PS Forwarding, who described Heathrow as a “laughing stock” in the global freight community. Woldbye countered this perception, stating that the magnitude of the incident was not fully understood by critics. Flight delays are anticipated to continue, with airlines working to manage the logistical issues brought about by the closures.
Nearly 1,400 flights were disrupted on Friday, with around 120 flights diverted to airports like Amsterdam and Gatwick. British Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic were among the carriers forced to cancel flights. The substation fire in Hayes, operated by National Grid, caused a major power outage at the UK’s largest aviation hub. Authorities have ruled out terrorism as a cause, but investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Lord Toby Harris, chairman of the National Preparedness Commission, criticized Heathrow’s preparedness for the outage, calling it an “enormous failure.” He highlighted the need for better contingency plans concerning emergency power to prevent similar incidents in the future. As the airport works to resume normal operations, affected passengers are left stranded, uncertain about when they will be able to continue their journeys
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