Heathrow Havoc: Fire Sparks Travel Chaos

A fire at a power substation forced Heathrow Airport to close, causing widespread travel disruptions. With flights diverted and passengers stranded, the incident raised concerns about infrastructure resilience. Airlines face financial losses while authorities probe the incident, with no foul play suspected. Questions remain about Heathrow's emergency preparedness.

Britain's Heathrow Airport is expected to resume operations later on Friday following a fire that disrupted its power supply, leading to a complete shutdown of Europe's busiest airport. Thousands of passengers faced travel chaos, with the closure stranding many and impacting flight schedules globally.

The airport had initially planned to handle 1,351 flights on the affected day but had to divert planes to other European and British airports, forcing long-haul flights to return to their departure points. Heathrow is now focusing on repatriating and relocating aircraft to restore normal operations.

Despite the daunting challenge, airport officials express hope for a full operational recovery soon. However, questions have emerged from airlines and industry experts about the airport's infrastructure resilience, highlighting the substantial financial impact of the disruption and prompting calls for a thorough investigation.

(With inputs from agencies.)