The UK government and Heathrow Airport in London have initiated investigations into the management of a power outage that closed Europe’s busiest air hub for nearly a day. Airlines have warned about potential further delays and cancellations.
The British energy ministry announced on Saturday that it had requested the National Energy System Operator to conduct an urgent investigation into the outage, which has raised concerns about the resilience of the country’s critical infrastructure, according to Reuters.
Heathrow Airport has assigned an independent board member, former transport minister Ruth Kelly, to review the airport’s crisis-management plan and its response to the incident, aiming to enhance resilience.
On Sunday, the airport stated that it is “operating a full schedule again today, with over 1,300 flights planned,” but airlines are still trying to recover lost time.
“Thank you for your patience following Friday’s closure due to an off-site power substation fire,” the post mentioned.
British Airways, which primarily operates from Heathrow, promised a “near-full” schedule for Sunday after its CEO Sean Doyle warned on Friday that the “huge impact” would last several days.
Major airlines are offering fare change waivers for travelers affected by Friday’s outage at London Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow is the world’s fifth busiest airport, handling 1,351 flights on Friday involving 291,000 passengers. However, a fire at a nearby electrical substation led to planes being diverted to other airports and many long-haul flights returning to their departure points.
Police stated that after an initial assessment, they do not consider the incident suspicious, although the investigation is ongoing.
London Fire Brigade investigations will focus on the electrical distribution equipment. Around 70 firefighters and 10 engines responded to the fire just before midnight on Thursday at the electrical substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes.
“This was a very visible and significant incident, and our firefighters worked tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible,” Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said in a statement.
— news from Fox Business