Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest air hubs, has resumed full operations on Saturday following repairs and preparations for an electrical substation fire across much of Friday, which disrupted global travel for nearly a week. The incident at the substation in怀特桥西部 packing场 [$text{West Colin Bridge}$_] caused power to be cut to tens of thousands of nearby residents and Heathrow airport. Police are still investigating what led to the fire, which has no immediate signs of foul play. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police described the damage as “extreme” and noting that an approximate £2.5 million worth of property was lost. Heathrow currently operates around 94,000 flights daily, up from 90,000 a year the previous year.
Gian-carlo Sannazza, an executive at British Airways, mentioned that the airport could expect 85% of its scheduled daily departures and arrivals to continue operating on Saturday, though delays due to the power outage could affect all passengers. However, he(state said) “It’s also unlikely that many routes which can be rerouted will be delayed, as all the operational constraints of the current power system will have to continue to be addressed.” Circium, an aviation data company, estimated that between Friday morning and Saturday night, over 1,000 flights had been diverted, resulting in travel disruptions for over four million passengers.
Arrivals at Heathrow began gradually at around 4:30pm Friday, with a flight from Hong Kong spotted at 4:10pm, Hong Kong’s usual schedule running from 4:50pm.[startlink指点击链接补充内容[/startlink] Heathrow’s CEO, Thomas Woldbye, on Friday described the incident as “tr ^
, “but if the basic needs for electricity are unsatisfied from the first instant, then the long-term viability is a real risk.”” Richard Edon, the chief执行官，分析道。“Knowing as much as one would like about what’s happening at the heart of an entire nation’s infrastructure, if theaviation system doesn’t account for calm when the power goes out, it’s going to be a big trouble。” Beardlowassociated.
Woldbye added that the substation, which had been built in 1702, holds thousands of gallons of cooling oil—it’s said to be one of the Longest existing in the world. He>’,
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Woldbye described the situation as “including some of the most critical pieces of the long-term system that the country relies on for survival.” However, there were details the HEFT announced on the air showed pointed the way to rebuilding for Saturday. “They’re kicking things off, but it takes a lot of time,” he said. “The people involve work that needs long layover days.”
Flightradar24 reported that planes from Hong Kong, South Africa, and Brazil are flying to Heathrow “early Saturday” to avoid canceling their Sunday flights, while upwards of 120 planes from major routes were still on their way, according to the tracking site. Flightradar24 later noted that the IMO〈国际空客 Kota性 Association〉re 규=”-ry }];
, “Heathrow was affected by the usual flight disruptions that airlines have in practice of tacking in and out; but this case and the power disruption at the junction are more like the highest case ever in a while.” The incident appears to call into question key questions about Britain’s infrastructure.Abstract Foods general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), director ward Walsh,-chief executive, called it “a clear planning failure” — saying that “the way the critical infrastructure is supported by a single source of power is not right now… It’s a clear planning failure by the airport.”
Woldbye thinks it’s a persistent challenge. “It won’t go anywhere anymore until the right system is constructedlectricity provides,” the CEO said. “Only then can it have a life of its own. If it’s all unb Nah, it will be.”
