London’s Heathrow Airport closes after substation fire, upending global travel
Washington Post
LONDON – Police and fire authorities are investigating a blaze at an electrical substation that forced the closure of London’s Heathrow Airport for a full day Friday.
Although the fire has been brought under control, the closure caused by that power outage is disrupting global travel, with thousands of passengers affected. Flightradar24, which tracks air travel, said in an email that at least 1,350 flights have been canceled and 120 diverted.
Heathrow will remain closed until 11:59 p.m. Friday, the airport said in a statement, but significant disruptions are expected to continue in the coming days. Firefighters were called to the high-voltage substation just after 11:20 p.m. Thursday local time to find a transformer with 25,000 liters of cooling oil fully alight, the London Fire Brigade said in a statement. The fire was under control by 6:28 a.m. There were no injuries, though firefighters evacuated 29 people.
The counterterrorism command of London’s Metropolitan Police is leading the investigation, given the impact on “critical national infrastructure,” police said. But there is “currently no indication of foul play.” It is working with the London Fire Brigade. The head of the International Air Transport Association in a statement Friday questioned how a power station failure forced the closure of Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world. If the airport is “totally dependent on a single power source without an alternative,” said Willie Walsh, who leads the trade association representing some 340 airlines around the world, “then it is a clear planning failure by the airport.”
The airport did not respond to a question about its power supply contingencies.
London’s Gatwick and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airports have each taken seven diverted flights, the airports confirmed. In many cases they landed elsewhere in the United Kingdom or Europe or returned to their destinations.
The Federal Aviation Administration said air traffic is operating as normal within U.S. airspace and the agency is working with international counterparts to minimize impacts from the Heathrow closure.