Heathrow Resumes Operations After Disruptive Fire, Travel Chaos Continues

While Heathrow Airport begins its recovery from a major operational disruption due to a fire at an electrical substation, travel plans for hundreds of thousands remain in disarray, with delays and cancellations still looming.

Heathrow Airport in London, one of the busiest airports globally, started resuming a full day of service on Saturday after a significant operational disruption due to a fire at an electrical substation the previous day. The blaze halted operations for most of Friday, forcing numerous flights to be diverted and affecting the travel plans of over a quarter of a million passengers, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, which also cut power to tens of thousands of homes in western London. As of now, authorities have reported no indications of foul play. British Airways, the airport's largest airline, announced that nearly 85 percent of its scheduled flights for Saturday were expected to proceed; however, delays and cancellations were still likely, particularly on busy routes where passengers typically have more options for rebooking.

The disruption lasted around 16 hours, with arrivals beginning to resume late Friday evening. A representative from Heathrow warned travelers against heading to the airport without verifying their airline's guidance, expressing hopes for a full return to normal operations soon.

On the ground, planes from various international locations—such as Hong Kong, South Africa, and Brazil—were seen arriving as flights resumed. Thomas Woldbye, the airport's chief executive, stated that while a backup transformer was active during the power cut, it was insufficient to maintain operations throughout the airport. The London Fire Brigade faced challenges extinguisher the fire, attributed to the presence of thousands of gallons of cooling oil at the substation.

To ease the situation, the UK's National Grid announced that it had temporarily reconfigured the substation network to restore some power to the airport and neighboring customers. As airlines work to recalibrate their schedules, significant delays are anticipated over the coming days.