London's airport has resumed full operations and initiated an investigation into its response to a power outage that shut down Europe’s busiest air hub for nearly a day, leading airlines to caution about further delays and cancellations.
British Airways, which operates primarily from Heathrow, reported that it managed to operate approximately 90% of its schedule on Saturday and aimed for a "near-full" schedule on Sunday. The airline's chief executive, Sean Doyle, acknowledged the "huge impact" of the outage, which is expected to affect operations for several days.
Heathrow, the world's fifth-busiest airport, had been slated to accommodate up to 291,000 passengers on Friday. However, a fire at a nearby electrical substation resulted in plane diversions to other airports, and many long-haul flights had to return to their origin.
The UK energy ministry has commissioned the National Energy System Operator to conduct an urgent investigation into the outage, raising concerns about the resilience of the country’s infrastructure.
Heathrow tasked independent board member and former transport minister Ruth Kelly with reviewing the airport's crisis management plan and response to the incident, aiming to enhance resilience.
Aviation experts noted that the last significant disruption across European airports occurred during the 2010 volcanic ash cloud event, which grounded around 100,000 flights.
Amber Roden, a U.S. citizen preparing for her wedding in three days, expressed her frustration as several relatives experienced canceled flights. Two family members traveling from Atlanta had to turn around mid-journey, and two others would only reach the UK on the day of her wedding, which she planned for two years.
Despite the situation, the majority of scheduled morning and early afternoon flights on Saturday departed successfully, with only a few delays and cancellations reported on Heathrow's departure website.
Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, stated that there were no expected major cancellations or delays. The airport had deployed hundreds of additional staff to assist with the influx of 10,000 extra passengers.
However, airlines continued to manage disrupted schedules. Virgin Atlantic announced plans for a near-full schedule with minimal cancellations, while Air India confirmed it had resumed flights to and from Heathrow and anticipated operating "as per schedule."
Passengers traveling from London’s Paddington Station remained apprehensive. University professor Melissa Graboyes repeatedly checked her flight status to Toronto, hoping to reach the airport without issue.
Police stated that following an initial assessment, they were not treating the incident as suspicious, though investigations are ongoing. The London Fire Brigade will focus its inquiries on the electrical distribution equipment involved.
The travel industry expressed concerns over a potential financial impact costing tens of millions of pounds and questioned how critical infrastructure could fail without a backup plan. Willie Walsh, head of the global airlines body IATA and a former British Airways chief, called it a clear planning failure by the airport, noting past outages that have affected Heathrow and other major London airports.
Recent headlines reflected public sentiment regarding the incident, describing the situation as a "fiasco" and "farcical."