Heathrow Airport has announced it is “open and fully operational” after a fire at an off-site electrical substation led to a significant power outage, halting airport operations. The shutdown resulted in widespread travel delays, affecting passengers worldwide.

To ease the effects of the Friday closure, additional flights were scheduled on Saturday to accommodate around 10,000 passengers impacted by the earlier disruption. The airport has also deployed hundreds of extra staff to help manage the situation and assist travelers.

The National Grid confirmed that power has been fully restored to all customers connected to the North Hyde substation, including Heathrow. This restoration is crucial as the substation serves as a key power source for the airport’s infrastructure.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that the Friday shutdown impacted an estimated 290,000 passengers, with another 270,000 potentially affected on Saturday. The fire led to the cancellation of 669 flights, resulting in the loss of 145,836 seats on Friday alone.

While the investigation into the cause of the fire continues, authorities have ruled out any suspicion of foul play. The incident’s significance, given its impact on critical infrastructure, has led to an investigation led by the Counter Terrorism Command.

Heathrow Airport and the National Grid have both apologized for the disruption and are actively working to restore normal services as quickly as possible.

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