Heathrow Airport Resumes Flights After Power Outage Caused by Substation Fire

Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest airport, partially resumed flights on Friday, following an 18-hour suspension due to a fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, west of London. The fire, which involved a transformer containing 25,000 liters of oil, caused a widespread power outage, affecting tens of thousands of passengers and disrupting global air traffic. Authorities have stated that there is no evidence of suspicious activity related to the fire, and the London Fire Brigade is focusing its investigation on the electrical distribution equipment. The National Grid reconfigured the network to restore power to Heathrow on an interim basis. Counterterrorism detectives are leading the investigation into its cause. The airport is prioritizing repatriation and relocation of aircraft and aims to operate at full capacity on Saturday. Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for updated flight information. IATA's Director General criticized Heathrow's reliance on a single power source as a planning failure. Over 1,350 flights were affected by the shutdown.