Heathrow Airport resumed operations on Saturday following a fire at an electrical substation in West London that disrupted travel plans for many passengers and caused significant power outages. The fire, which occurred late Thursday night, was brought under control by firefighters after several hours, but it initially forced the airport to close until Friday night. Approximately 200,000 travelers were affected, with long-distance flights being diverted to other airports across Europe.
While electricity was restored by Saturday morning, the airport is expected to take several days to clear the backlog of passengers and reposition aircraft. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which is not suspected to be foul play, although counter-terrorism detectives were involved due to the fire’s impact on critical infrastructure.
Heathrow’s closure had significant repercussions, as it is a major hub in Europe, handling 83.6 million passengers last year. The incident raised concerns about the UK’s resilience in the face of attacks or disasters that could disrupt essential services. Experts pointed out that the UK’s infrastructure needs fortification to prevent such occurrences in the future, and there have been persistent calls for stronger measures. The CEO of Heathrow defended the airport’s response during this crisis.
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