Flights Resume at London Heathrow After Fire Causes Disruptions

What Happened?

Commercial flights have resumed at London’s Heathrow International Airport after a fire at a nearby power station had temporarily grounded all traffic. 

On Thursday a fire cut power to Heathrow forcing all flight operations to be halted for several hours. The closure caused hundreds of thousands of air travelers worldwide to experience delays as flights had to be either rerouted or cancelled due to the closure.

The electrical substation, located just over a mile from Heathrow, caught fire after nearby residents reported an explosion and subsequent fireball which came from a faulty transformer. So far, British authorities have not indicated there is any evidence of foul play.

Why it Matters

London Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports, handling 1,400 takeoffs and landings every twenty-four hours. Approximately 83 million passengers transit through Heathrow each year.

The airport is a hub of global air travel, with flights connecting through Heathrow to continue to destinations in Asia, North America, and the Middle East. Heathrow is also home to the headquarters of Virgin Atlantic. 

British authorities said they expected disruptions from the closure to last for several days until all delayed flights have been completed.

Although no evidence of an intentional act has yet come to light, British Secretary of Energy Ed Miliband called the fire “an unprecedented event. Obviously, with any incident like this we will want to understand why it happened and what if any lessons it has for our infrastructure.” 

Equipment failure seems like the most likely cause of the fire.

According to the Associated Press, the London Fire Brigade issued a statement that a transformer holding 5,000 gallons of cooling oil caught fire. It said 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters brought the blaze under control after seven hours, but isolated hotspots were still alight 24 hours after the fire started.

No terrorist or criminal organizations claimed responsibility for the substation fire. Infrastructure doesn’t always have a high level of security, in part because there are so many components it’s impossible to guard them all.

British intelligence services believe Russian agents have been conducting sabotage campaigns across Europe, although they have provided no evidence publicly to substantiate those claims. Russia has been successful in targeting power grids and supporting infrastructure in Ukraine, and it’s possible lessons from that conflict could have been used to cause the London fire.

How it Affects You

Critical infrastructure is difficult to defend but essential for economic activity, making it an ideal target for nefarious actors and organizations. 

Due to the extent of the damage and the size of the substation fire, it’s likely the investigation into the cause will take weeks if not months.