Heathrow Airport ‘fully operational’ after fire sparked travel chaos

More than 1,300 flights were cancelled after an overnight fire at a substation cut power to London Heathrow Airport, and to more than 60,000 properties.

London Heathrow Airport said it was “fully operational” on Saturday, after an almost daylong closure sparked by an electrical substation fire. But airlines warned that severe disruption will last for days as they scramble to relocate planes and crews and get travellers to their destinations.

The airport’s boss said he was proud of Heathrow’s response to the incident. But inconvenienced passengers, angry airlines and concerned politicians sought answers about how one seemingly accidental fire could shut down Europe’s busiest air hub.

“We have hundreds of additional colleagues on hand in our terminals and we have added flights to today’s schedule to facilitate an extra 10,000 passengers traveling through the airport,” Heathrow said in a statement, advising passengers to check with their airline before going to the airport.

British Airways, Heathrow’s biggest airline, said it expects to operate about 85 per cent of its 600 scheduled flights at the airport on Saturday. It said that “to recover an operation of our size after such a significant incident is extremely complex.”

More than 1,300 flights were cancelled and some 200,000 people stranded Friday after an overnight fire at a substation 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the airport cut power to Heathrow, and to more than 60,000 properties.

Residents in west London described hearing a large explosion and then seeing a fireball and clouds of smoke when the blaze ripped through the substation. The fire was brought under control after seven hours, but the airport was shut for almost 18. A handful of flights took off and landed late Friday.

Police said they do not consider the fire suspicious, and the London Fire Brigade said its investigation would focus on the electrical distribution equipment at the substation.

Still, the huge impact of the fire left authorities facing criticism that Britain’s creaking infrastructure is ill-prepared to deal with disasters or attacks.