After a fire at a nearby electrical substation shut down Europe's busiest airport, flights from Heathrow Airport have resumed with hopes of running full operation from today.
With the first plane landing today, officials say that they are prioritising customers diverted to European airports and have warned people not to travel to the airport unless advised by their airline. A spokesperson said they hopes to run a full service today, after the fire forced the airport to shut down.
Chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, apologises to passengers, saying: “The incident was as big as it gets for our airport." He apologised for the disruption caused by the fire, which led to a major power loss equal to a "mid-size city.”
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into the fire at the substation that knocked out the power to the airport, but the Met Police says there's currently no indication of foul play. British Airways said that eight long-haul flights were cleared to leave Heathrow last night, with Virgin Atlantic expects to run a "near full schedule" today.
The National Grid said that it found an "interim solution" to restore power, and there were reports that Terminal 4 was back on. Counter-terrorism police are investigating the fire, but the Met Police say there's "currently no indication of foul play"
A source from the airport says back-up generators did spring into action, but they weren't enough to power the whole airport - an air industry boss says it leaves "serious questions"