Heathrow Blackout Shows Weak Spot in Airport Power Supplies
The incident comes at a time when Heathrow is trying to position itself for expansion and remain competitive against other international hubs like Dubai and Paris.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/BloombergLondon Heathrow’s unprecedented blackout on Friday has put the airport’s reliance on potentially vulnerable infrastructure into focus, at a time when the biggest UK hub is lobbying for an ambitious expansion plan.
A fire late Thursday at a nearby electrical substation cut off the power supply to Heathrow, bringing flights to a standstill for almost all of Friday. While backup systems kicked in, they only allow the hub to land some aircraft and evacuate passengers, but not to support full operations. Only by late on Friday did a few flights resume, mainly to repatriate dislocated passengers.