A significant enquiry has been launched at Heathrow over the dramatic shutdown of one the worlds most important airport hubs caused by a fire at a nearby electricity substation. It is estimated that around 200,000 people were stranded in various points around the globe after the airport management decided they had insufficient electricity to operate the airport safely for up to 24 hours.
The situation was further complicated by an assertion several days later by the head of the National Grid, that there was, in fact, enough power to keep the main elements of Britain’s largest airport operational and and able to cope with a steady stream of takeoffs and landings.
The fire at the substation a few hours outside Heathrow’s main terminals was brought under control within a few hours, but the impact was huge and ongoing for the rest of the day. A huge number of incoming aircraft had to divert to other airports, and a significant catalogue of takeoffs were postponed with the inevitable disruption to passenger schedules.
Politicians have also waded in with complaints that the foreign-owned airport has insufficient resilience to cope with seemingly minor incidents and is especially vulnerable to terrorist activity.
Heathrow is one of the world’s most important hubs and the home to British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
