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On Thursday night, March 20, a fire at Heathrow Airport began in an electrical substation in the Hayes area, west of London. The flames interrupted the power supply, completely paralyzing the systems of the largest airport in the United Kingdom. According to BBC News Brazil, the incident compromised signaling, lighting, and even boarding services.
The result of the fire was immediate: more than 1,300 flights canceled and around 200,000 passengers impacted, as reported by El País. The emergency response mobilized about 70 firefighters to contain the flames.
How The Fire At Heathrow Airport Affected Airlines
With the crisis underway, companies like British Airways temporarily suspended all operations at Heathrow. The company reported that only eight international flights took off on Friday night, after emergency authorization, including routes to Johannesburg, Sydney, and Singapore, according to HuffPost Spain.
Passengers reported confusion, long lines, and a lack of information. The fire at Heathrow Airport also caused impacts on hotels, transport networks, and baggage logistics, showing the extent of the collapse.
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Are There Suspicions of Sabotage in The Airport Fire?
According to The Wall Street Journal, there is no evidence of sabotage. The Metropolitan Police of London activated its Counterterrorism Unit only as a precautionary measure. British experts have, however, warned about the fragility of critical infrastructures and the urgent need for more resilient response systems.
Even without a direct connection to crime, the fire at Heathrow Airport exposed vulnerabilities that concern authorities in the aviation and national security sectors.
When Should The Airport Return To Normal?
The power company managed to restore part of the energy on Friday afternoon. According to El País, the first landing occurred around 6:30 PM GMT, and new departures took place gradually. The airport management expects a complete normalization of operations by Saturday, March 22.
The fire at Heathrow Airport is considered one of the most serious recorded in a European air hub in recent years, raising discussions about safety, prevention, and contingency structure in large international terminals.
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