UK Launches Investigation into Heathrow Power Outage After Substation Fire

London, England – An investigation has been ordered by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband into a major power outage at Heathrow Airport caused by a substation fire on Friday. The incident disrupted nearly 1,400 flights and left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded. Authorities aim to understand the circumstances surrounding the power loss and to assess the UK’s energy resilience for critical infrastructure.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has been tasked with the investigation, which is expected to provide initial findings within six weeks. This comes in light of the fire at the North Hyde substation in west London, which led to the closure of the airport early Friday morning. Authorities have ruled out any suspicions of foul play, with the Metropolitan Police confirming that counter-terrorism officers are steering the inquiry.

“We are determined to properly understand what happened and what lessons need to be learned,” Miliband stated. He emphasized the need for the investigation to address potential vulnerabilities in the UK’s energy systems to prevent future occurrences.

In total, over 300,000 passengers faced delays and disruptions due to the outage, leading to 1,350 flight cancellations and diversions, according to air traffic data from flightradar24.com. While the airport announced it was “fully operational” by Saturday, it still faced significant operational challenges, with nearly 100 flights canceled.

One traveler, Ann Palmer, expressed her frustration after being stranded in Toronto, waiting for a rescheduled flight to Edinburgh via Heathrow. “We received no updates from British Airways on our flight from Toronto,” she said, adding that the airline had provided hotel accommodation and meal vouchers. “It’s been a stressful experience.”

Another passenger, Charlotte, was turned back mid-flight from Miami. “I’ve been stranded here with my young children,” she said, reflecting the chaos experienced by many travelers during the airport’s closure.

Heathrow’s CEO, Thomas Woldbye, acknowledged the incident’s severity and reaffirmed the airport’s commitment to cooperating with the investigation. “We will support every effort to understand the causes and impacts of yesterday’s incident,” he said. Woldbye also confirmed that former Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly will lead a review of the airport’s crisis management plans.

The fires in the substation caused damage to equipment that subsequently disabled backup systems. Though Heathrow is equipped with multiple substations and generators, the outage severely limited power supply. Woldbye noted the complexities involved in reallocating electrical supplies to get operations back on track following the fire. “Days like today are difficult because we cannot guard against every possible scenario,” he said.

Experts have criticized the incident, stating it exposed glaring vulnerabilities in the UK’s critical infrastructure. Labour peer Toby Harris described it as “a huge embarrassment” for the country. Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, called it a “clear planning failure” on Heathrow’s part.

The incident has drawn parallels to previous travel disruptions, including the chaos caused by the 2010 Icelandic volcanic ash cloud. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated, “It’s imperative we identify how this power failure occurred and learn from it to ensure Heathrow remains strong.”

On the ground, while additional staff were deployed to assist passengers at Heathrow, significant delays continued to affect travelers over the weekend. British Airways projected that most of its flights would resume operation, with about 85 percent of scheduled flights expected to operate by Saturday. However, Virgin Atlantic announced plans for a near-full schedule amid limited cancellations.

The investigation and subsequent reviews will come as the travel industry assesses the fallout from the disruption, with financial implications expected to be substantial. Woldbye assured efforts are underway to mitigate the impact of the incident, stating, “We will do everything we can to ensure a swift recovery and prevent such incidents in the future.”