A data center located less than half a mile from the electric substation that caught fire at Heathrow Airport last week experienced a power outage, but its backup systems ensured continuous operation. In contrast, Heathrow Airport took nearly 18 hours to restore normal operations, causing global travel delays and raising concerns about the vulnerability of Britain’s infrastructure. The main reason for this difference is the financial investment made by the data center industry in preventing catastrophic failures. While Heathrow officials stated that the airport’s critical systems have backup power, the rest of the complex facility, such as terminals, moving walkways, and bathrooms, rely on the main power supply. The airport has been expanding and updating over the years, resulting in a patchwork of older and newer electrical systems. The lack of backup generators at Heathrow means that during a power failure, engineers have to manually reconfigure switches to reroute power, taking several hours. Meanwhile, a data center nearby, run by Ark Data Centres, has a bank of batteries and backup generators that kicked in instantly when the fire occurred. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that he does not want Heathrow Airport to experience a similar shutdown in the future. However, upgrading electrical systems at the airport would require significant investment, which could be passed on to customers in the form of higher ticket prices.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/world/europe/heathrow-fire-power-outage-explained.html