Heathrow airport resumed normal operations on Sunday, two days after a power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, west London. The incident led to the cancellation of over 1,000 flights on Friday. Flights resumed on Saturday, and over 250,000 passengers used Heathrow Airport that day, with arrivals and departures continuing on Sunday, albeit with slight delays. Energy secretary Ed Miliband has ordered the National Energy System Operator (Neso) to investigate the power outage, while an internal review of Heathrow’s crisis management plans will be conducted by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly. Heathrow Airport’s CEO Thomas Woldbye reportedly delegated the decision to shut down the airport to his deputy on Thursday night after senior staff were divided into “gold command” groups. Heathrow officials explained that Woldbye needed to be well-rested to make the decision to reopen the airport. The airport’s spokesperson apologized for the inconvenience caused and welcomed the government’s announcement of an investigation. Heathrow, Europe’s largest airport, serves more than 83.9 million passengers annually. The airport stated that a backup transformer failed during the power disruption, leading to the closure of systems in accordance with safety procedures. Counter-terrorism officers initially investigated the fire but determined it was not suspicious, and now the London Fire Brigade is probing the electrical distribution equipment. Heathrow’s chair, Lord Paul Deighton, has announced a review to be led by Kelly, focusing on the airport’s crisis management plans, response, and recovery processes to identify possible improvements for future resilience.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/23/service-at-heathrow-airport-returns-to-normal-two-days-after-forced-closure