Heathrow Airport may be operational again following a sudden substation fire, but the fallout from one of the airport’s most disruptive incidents in recent years is still unfolding.
Airlines are facing ongoing challenges, with hundreds of flights canceled or delayed, aircraft out of position, and crews scattered across Europe.
The chaos began late Thursday night when a fire broke out at the North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes, west London. This facility supplies power to Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports. The fire, now under investigation, knocked out critical systems and forced the cancellation of more than 1,300 flights on Friday, affecting an estimated 200,000 passengers.
By Saturday, operations had resumed and Heathrow declared itself “open and fully operational.” But the reality on the ground told a different story. British Airways, the airport’s largest airline, canceled nearly 80 more flights on Saturday. Other airlines have also struggled to return to normal schedules, with many planes, pilots, and cabin crews now stranded at airports they were never meant to be.
Sean Doyle, CEO of British Airways, called the fire “an unprecedented situation” and warned that the disruption would have a “substantial impact on our airline and customers for many days to come.”
The ripple effects have created a logistical nightmare. Aircraft are out of place, and the crews needed to operate them are bound by mandatory rest periods before they can fly again. This mismatch of people and planes has forced further cancellations and reshuffling of routes. Aviation experts say the domino effect could extend into the week ahead.
John Strickland, an aviation consultant, told the UK’s Press Association news agency, “All these long-haul aircraft—particularly BA’s—have ended up at airports they were never supposed to be at. If there are no crews there to pick them up, then airlines will struggle to get their aircraft moving again as normal.”
Heathrow has attempted to ease the strain by adding 50 extra takeoff and landing slots to accommodate up to 10,000 more passengers on Saturday. But for airlines still facing staffing and aircraft shortages, those extra slots offer little relief unless they can be filled.
While the airport’s runway lights and control tower systems remained functional thanks to backup power supplies, the wider electrical outage exposed a serious vulnerability in Heathrow’s infrastructure. The incident has sparked criticism from industry veterans and raised concerns about how a single substation failure could bring such a major airport to a standstill.
Willie Walsh, former head of British Airways and current Director General of IATA, called the outage a “clear planning failure” by Heathrow. Current airport CEO Thomas Woldbye acknowledged that while critical systems had backup power, they were never designed to run the entire airport. He added that the airport would be reviewing whether it needs a more robust standby power solution in the future.
National Grid, which owns and operates the affected substation, confirmed that power had been restored to all customers, including Heathrow. It also said steps were being taken to improve network resilience to avoid similar disruptions in the future.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the fire continues. While the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism command initially led the inquiry, they later confirmed there were no signs of foul play. The London Fire Brigade is now focusing on the substation’s electrical distribution systems as a possible cause.
The timing of the outage has only compounded the difficulties. With the travel season ramping up and airports already operating near capacity, the sudden blackout has placed additional strain on systems that were already stretched thin. Passengers across Europe and beyond have faced last-minute cancellations, rebookings, or overnight diversions to other cities.
For travelers hoping to pass through Heathrow in the coming days, patience may be necessary. Airlines continue to adjust flight schedules and reposition aircraft as quickly as regulations and staffing allow. Many passengers have taken to social media to express frustration, while others simply want to know when they’ll be able to fly.
Despite the airport’s reopening, the recovery will be gradual. Airlines are urging travelers to check flight statuses before heading to the airport, and many are still offering waivers for rebooking fees or full refunds.
As Heathrow re-evaluates its emergency protocols and the National Grid investigates the failure, one thing is clear: a fire in a single power facility can ignite widespread disruption—affecting planes, passengers, and global schedules far beyond a single terminal.
