Heathrow Faces Criticism Over 'Colossal Failure' in Fire-Related Shutdown - News Directory 3

Heathrow Airport has been accused of a "colossal failure" following a fire at an electricity substation that caused a major power outage and forced the airport to shut down for nearly a day, disrupting travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The incident occurred when a fire broke out at the North Hyde electrical substation in west London, which supplies power to Heathrow. The blaze led to the loss of electricity across the airport, grounding flights and leaving passengers stranded in terminals and on aircraft.

The Daily Telegraph called it the "Colossal failure of Heathrow blackout" next to a photo of the secretary of state for energy, Ed Miliband, who, as the subheading explains, "admits site looks 'vulnerable'".

The shutdown affected more than 1,350 flights and disrupted journeys for hundreds of thousands of travellers, with widespread cancellations and delays reported across the UK and internationally. Passengers described scenes of confusion and frustration as they waited for updates and attempted to rebook travel.

Heathrow delays - live updates The closure of Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation dominates the front pages of British newspapers on Saturday, with more than 1,350 flights cancelled and journeys disrupted for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The Mirror sums it up with one word - "Grounded" - splashed above a photo of the fire helpfully captioned as an "inferno" and another of a teary passenger. "Fire sparks travel chaos," the strapline says, and "Boss admits airport can't be run on backup" is further down....

British Airways, Heathrow's largest airline, stated it expected to operate about 85% of its 600 scheduled flights on the following day as services gradually resumed. However, airlines warned that full recovery would take several days due to the need to reposition aircraft, crews, and passengers.

British Airways, Heathrow's biggest airline, said it expects to operate about 85% of its 600 scheduled flights at the airport on Saturday.

The UK government launched an inquiry into the incident amid growing concerns over the resilience of national infrastructure. Officials visited the substation site to assess the damage and investigate the causes of the failure.

Officials walk through the North Hyde electrical substation in London on Saturday March 22, 2025, which caught fire Thursday night.

UK government orders probe into Heathrow shutdown that sparked concern over energy resilience

The event has raised broader questions about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, particularly the reliance on single points of failure in power supply for major transport hubs. Industry leaders and officials have called for improved contingency planning and investment in grid resilience.

Airline chiefs have accused Heathrow of "clear failure" after Europe's busiest airport was shut down by a fire in a single electricity substation.