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On the evening of Thursday, March 20, a fire at Heathrow Airport started at an electrical substation in the Hayes area, west of London. The fire disrupted the power supply, completely paralyzing the systems of the largest airport in the United Kingdom. According to BBC News Brasil, the incident compromised signage, lighting and even boarding services.
The result of the fire was immediate: more than 1.300 flights were canceled and around 200 passengers were impacted, as reported by the newspaper El País. The emergency response mobilized around 70 firefighters to contain the flames.
How the Heathrow Airport fire affected airlines
With the crisis in place, companies like British Airways have temporarily suspended all operations at Heathrow. The company said only eight international flights took off on Friday night following emergency authorization, including routes to Johannesburg, Sydney and Singapore, according to HuffPost Spain.
Passengers reported confusion, long queues and a lack of information. The fire at Heathrow Airport caused impacts also in hotels, transport networks and luggage logistics, showing the scale 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. London's Metropolitan Police have activated their Counterterrorism Unit only as a precautionary measure. British experts have warned, however, of the fragility of critical infrastructure and the urgent need for response systems. more resilient.
Even without a direct link to crime, the fire at Heathrow Airport exposed vulnerabilities that concern aviation and national security authorities.
When should the airport return to normal?
The power company managed to restore part of the power on Friday afternoon. According to El País, the first landing took place around 18:30 GMT, and new takeoffs occurred gradually. The airport management expects normalization complete operations by Saturday, March 22.
The fire at Heathrow Airport is considered one of the most serious ever recorded at a European air hub in recent years, and raises discussions about safety, prevention and contingency structures at large international terminals.
