Heathrow launches internal review after Miliband demands 'urgent investigation' into nearby fire
22 March 2025, 19:19 | Updated: 22 March 2025, 19:44
Heathrow will launch an internal review after a fire at a nearby electrical substation on Thursday night sparked travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers, the airport has announced.
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Lord Paul Deighton, Heathrow Airport Chairman, said in a statement: "Closing the airport yesterday had significant impacts for our passengers, our customers, our colleagues and the country.
"Heathrow regrets the disruption this caused. We hope that all those affected understand that the decision was made in order to prioritise the safety of our passengers and colleagues."
Ruth Kelly, former transport secretary and an independent member of Heathrow's board, has been tasked with undertaking the review.
Lord Deighton added: "The Kelly Review will analyse all of the relevant material concerning the robustness and execution of Heathrow’s crisis management plans, the airport’s response during the incident and how the airport recovered the operation with the objective of identifying any improvements that could be made to our future resilience."
It comes after Energy Secretary Ed Miliband ordered the National Energy System Operator to "urgently investigate" the power outage caused by the substation fire.
Read more: Heathrow boss 'proud' of how airport handled inferno leaving hundreds of flights cancelled
The "investigation will support efforts to build a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding this incident and the UK's energy resilience more broadly so that it's prevented from ever happening again", the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said.
Mr Miliband said: "The loss of power to the Heathrow area has caused major disruption to thousands of people and many businesses. We are determined to properly understand what happened and what lessons need to be learned.
"That is why working with Ofgem, I have today commissioned the National Energy System Operator to carry out an investigation into this specific incident and to understand any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure, both now and in the future.
"The Government is determined to do everything it can to prevent a repeat of what happened at Heathrow. This review will be an important step in helping us to do so, as we deliver our plan for change."In the wake of the Hayes substation fire that led to the airport’s closure, the National Grid has said it is “deeply sorry.”
A statement read: "Since this unprecedented fire broke out at our North Hyde substation late on Thursday night, our teams have worked tirelessly and in close collaboration with the fire brigade and police to get the situation back under control."
Power supplies have been restored to all customers, including Heathrow, allowing operations to resume at Heathrow.
"We are deeply sorry for the disruption caused and are continuing to work closely with the government, Heathrow and the police to understand the cause of the incident."
Heathrow was thrust into chaos on Friday as Europe's busiest airport was brought to a standstill by a substation inferno, with thousands stranded, hundreds of flights cancelled and over 100 nearby residents evacuated.
Counter-terrorism police are currently leading the investigation into the incident - however the Met says there's currently no indication of foul play.
After a day of chaos, a Heathrow spokesperson confirmed this morning that the airport is now "open and fully operational" but warned passengers to check with their airlines before making plans.
