A fire at an electric substation near Heathrow Airport caused an 18-hour outage, disrupting global travel. However, a nearby data center remained operational due to its robust backup systems, including batteries and generators. This stark contrast is attributed to the significant investments made by the data center industry to prevent catastrophic failures. Most airports, including Heathrow, have not invested in similar comprehensive backup systems due to cost considerations. Experts confirm that even large airports like Heathrow could maintain normal operations during power failures with the right infrastructure investments. — news from The New York Times