S Poddar
Flights at Heathrow Airport resumed on Saturday morning after a fire broke out in an electrical substation close to the airport. The fire had caused a huge power outage, grinding operations at one of the world’s busiest transport centers to a halt. Heathrow confirmed on Saturday morning that it was back to full operation again. Passengers have been cautioned to anticipate further disruption for a few more days, though. British Airways put the proportion of its planned flights that operated at around 85%, though delays are a huge problem. The majority of the early morning departures did, however, leave on schedule, but nine of the first 20 planned arrivals were canceled before 07:00 GMT.
On Friday, over 1,300 flights were hit, Flightradar24 said. Passengers were told not to make their way to the airport unless they had been instructed to do so by their airline. The National Grid reported that an “interim solution” had been implemented, restoring power to the affected regions, including Heathrow. The network was “reconfigured” to restore electricity to all the affected customers. In the meantime, firefighters labored to fight the fire at the North Hyde substation in Hayes, west London.
The electrical substation fire, which serves Heathrow, was the main reason for the disruption. The reason for the fire is still to be established. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said there was no initial suspicion of foul play, although counter-terrorism police are probing because the fire was near key infrastructure. Emergency services were initially alerted to the blaze at Nestles Avenue in Hayes at 23:23 GMT on Thursday. London Fire Brigade (LFB) Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Smith stated that the fire was in a transformer with 25,000 liters of cooling oil. The fire was “very visible and significant,” he said. The firefighters were able to contain the situation by 06:28 on Friday morning. Authorities later in the evening stated that the fire seemed to be non-suspicious, with investigations centered on electrical distribution apparatus. Commander Simon Messinger, who is in charge of the police operation, added that specialist investigators are investigating the area, but a full assessment will take time. Until additional tests are conducted, he repeated that at this point, there remains no sign of foul play.
Because Heathrow is such an international transit hub, questions have been raised as to whether it is equipped to manage power outages. The airport does possess emergency backup power systems, but these are not instant restoration of all airport functions. Heathrow has several energy sources, such as diesel generators and “uninterruptible power supplies,” as per an insider. These backup systems performed to expectations when the power went out. They were not enough, however, to sustain full operations of the facility, prompting the temporary shutdown of the facility. Restoring all the airport systems required after such a power outage is a lengthy and complicated procedure. Each system needs to be checked separately for stability before the normal functioning can be restarted. One wonders why Heathrow’s stand-alone backup systems were unable to carry on functioning and if the National Grid’s delivery network was capable of coping. The complete investigation is likely to shed light.
Flights resumed gradually on Friday evening, with the airport focusing on repatriation and relocation flights. Heathrow declared itself “open and fully operational” by Saturday morning. Flight cancellations and disruptions will continue for a number of days. The initial shutdown created a ripple effect, affecting airports around the globe. Many flights were canceled or diverted, leading airlines to reschedule their flights. Heathrow apologised for the disruption and cautioned passengers to double-check with airlines before flying. To assist with congestion, overnight flight restrictions from Heathrow have been suspended for the time being, the Department for Transport reported. Under usual government rules, takeoffs and landings between 23:30 and 06:00 are restricted throughout the year as a means to minimize nighttime noise pollution.
At 08:00 UTC on a typical Friday, Heathrow would typically have approximately 200 flights in transit. By Friday morning, though, the normal traffic pattern had been radically disrupted. Flightradar24 reports at least 1,351 flights were affected, with approximately 120 aircraft already in the air when the shutdown was announced. Some airlines have made moves to modify their operations. Air Canada and United Airlines restarted some flights from Friday night, and Virgin Atlantic was trying to operate almost all of its planned flights on Saturday, subject to a few exceptions. British Airways canceled all the short-haul flights on Friday but subsequently permitted certain long-haul flights, including those to Cape Town, Johannesburg, Singapore, and Rio de Janeiro, to take off from 19:00 GMT and onwards. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific canceled all flights to London on Friday. Gatwick Airport has also indicated preparedness to support Heathrow as and when necessary. Some Qantas flights destined for London were diverted to Paris, with further disruption anticipated. The Heathrow Express railway service was also hit, operating a truncated schedule between Paddington and the airport.
In addition to the travel dislocation, the power cut badly disrupted west Londoners’ normal routines. Thousands of houses were rendered without power, impacting basic services. Energy distributor Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said that over 16,300 homes were left without power. Approximately 150 residents were evacuated from adjacent properties as a precautionary step. Residents were also instructed to keep doors and windows shut owing to smoke issues. The blackout caused the temporary shutdown of two nurseries and four schools in Hillingdon, the London borough where Heathrow is situated. A dozen residents who were left homeless have been given emergency housing by Hillingdon Council. Bin collection services and public transport within the area, including bus routes and parts of the M4, were also affected. No injuries have been reported despite the intensity of the fire and its effects.
The Metropolitan Police counter-terror unit is investigating the incident due to the location of the substation and its position in national infrastructure. Authorities see no signs of foul play at this time but are keeping their minds open as they learn more. London Fire Brigade remains in close liaison with police to gauge the incident. Heathrow officials have also promised to carry out an internal inquiry to find out what went wrong and how things can be done to avoid similar disruptions in the future. In the meantime, although flights are back on schedule, passengers need to be ready for possible delays and alterations as airlines struggle to catch up with the huge disruption.
