A fire at an electricity source, on Friday, caused a massive shutdown at London Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in Europe. The disruption, which affected thousands of passengers and delayed millions of tonnes of cargo, has sparked serious concerns about the vulnerability of the UK’s key infrastructure.
Despite having multiple power sources, Heathrow was unable to maintain operations after the fire damaged a critical part of its electricity supply, thereby crippling an airport that handles more than 80 million passengers annually.
What Happened?
On Friday, a fire broke out at an electricity substation linked to Heathrow. The substation, managed by the National Grid, plays a crucial role in converting high-voltage electricity into a lower voltage suitable for use at the airport. This process generates a significant amount of heat, which is managed using cooling oils. Investigators believe it was these oils that caught fire, leading to a major system failure.
Although Heathrow has multiple sources of electricity, an insider from the National Grid noted that the fire damaged a “particularly important bit” of the system. As a result, backup power sources failed to keep the airport running.
Why Did the Backup Systems Fail?
Large-scale infrastructure like Heathrow has emergency power supplies, including diesel generators and uninterruptible power supplies. However, these backups are primarily designed to support critical systems rather than the entire airport.
A Heathrow source stated that the airport’s backup systems “operated as expected.” The main issue lay with the National Grid, which also left thousands of nearby homes without power. Restarting Heathrow’s alternative power sources took time because engineers needed to check every system before bringing it back online.
Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), called the incident a “clear planning failure,” questioning why a facility of such importance depended so heavily on a single power source without a reliable alternative.
Energy experts have pointed out that Heathrow receives electricity from only one substation—North Hyde—through the local distribution network. Phil Hewitt, director of the Montel Group, noted, “This potential lack of resilience at a critical national and international infrastructure site is worrying. An airport as large and as important as Heathrow should not be vulnerable to a single point of failure.”s
While the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, counter-terrorism police are investigating whether foul play was involved. Given the strategic importance of Heathrow, authorities are treating the incident with the highest level of scrutiny.
Heathrow uses as much energy as a small city, making complete self-sufficiency difficult. However, the failure of the current system has raised concerns about whether more should be done to improve resilience.
Could This Have Been Prevented?
In 2023, the National Infrastructure Commission advised the UK government to introduce stricter standards for vital infrastructure sectors, including transport and energy. A follow-up report in late 2024 provided detailed recommendations on how to implement these standards, but they have yet to be acted upon.
Robin Potter, a research fellow at Chatham House, noted that Heathrow is one of only two UK airports—along with Gatwick—that is subject to any regulation regarding resilience. He suggested that while Heathrow’s standards are higher than most other airports, the incident has exposed significant gaps in preparedness.
The incident has sparked debates over whether additional backup power systems should be introduced, despite the costs involved. A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed that investigations are underway to determine why existing backup measures were insufficient.
For now, the airport has resumed normal operations, but the failure has left a lasting impact. Passengers and cargo shipments faced significant delays, and trust in the reliability of Heathrow’s infrastructure has been shaken.
The question remains: should a critical hub like Heathrow rely so heavily on a single power source, or should further investments be made to prevent another incident like this in the future?
