UK Govt Orders Probe Into Heathrow Airport Shutdown, Raise Concern Over 'Energy Resilience'

London: After a massive fire in London Heathrow Airport's electrical substation which shut all the flight services, now the British Government on Saturday ordered an investigation into the United Kingdom's "energy resilience" an raised concern about its ability to withstand any such disaster or attack on critical infrastructure.

While Heathrow Airport official said it was “fully operational” on Saturday, thousands of passengers remained stuck, and airlines warned that severe disruption will last for days as they scramble to relocate planes and crews and get travelers to their planned destinations.

Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary said that he asked the National Energy System Operator to "urgently investigate" the fire, “to understand any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure."

Also Read: Flights Resume at London Heathrow After a Daylong Closure

The National Energy System Operator is expected to report initial findings within six weeks.

'Embarrassment for Heathrow Airport'

Toby Harris, a Labour Party politician and head of the National Preparedness Commission, said, “This is a huge embarrassment for Heathrow airport. It’s a huge embarrassment for the country that a fire in one electricity substation can have such a devastating effect.”

Inconvenienced passengers, frustrated airlines, and concerned politicians demanded answers on how a single accidental fire could bring Europe’s busiest airport to a halt.

More than 1,300 flights were canceled 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.

‘Planning Failure’ in One of the Busiest Airport

Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest airports from international travel perspective, and saw 83.9 million passengers in 2024.

Willie Walsh, head of the aviation trade organization IATA, said that the incident “begs some serious questions.” He questioned how critical infrastructure of national and global importance could be entirely dependent on a single power source without an alternative, calling it a "clear planning failure by the airport."

Walsh also remarked that Heathrow has little incentive to improve, as airlines, not the airport, bear the cost of looking after disrupted passengers.

(with AP inputs)