Power Outage Causes Temporary Delays at London Heathrow Airport

Power Outage Causes Temporary Delays at London Heathrow Airport

A fire at a local power substation caused a major outage at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) late Thursday night, disrupting both passenger and cargo operations. The airport suspended all flights earlier today, and while power has since been restored, delays are expected to continue through the weekend.

According to a Heathrow spokesperson, the airport is "starting to resume flights" as of early Friday afternoon, but the full schedule remains affected. Customers are being advised to check directly with airlines for the latest status.

Impact on Cargo Operations:

• Flight Suspensions: Several carriers, including Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo, have reported cancellations and delays through Friday evening. Virgin Atlantic’s flights are suspended until at least 9:30 PM local time.
• Cargo Handling: Some facilities such as dnata City East (Dubai National Air Travel Agency) remain operational and continue to accept export cargo. Ground services and import collection also remain available in some cases.
• Limited Airfreight Capacity: The outage disproportionately affects cargo flown in passenger aircraft bellyholds. Once flights resume, competition for available capacity may increase due to the influx of passengers.
• Diversions and Rerouting: Freight forwarders and airlines are exploring alternative airports and transport modes. Fortunately, the current period falls outside of peak shipping season, mitigating the risk of significant overflow.

While the initial impact raised concerns about major cargo delays, reports from freight forwarders and carriers suggest the disruption may not be as severe or prolonged as feared. Some expect operations to normalize over the weekend, though backlog and knock-on effects may continue into next week.

Nonetheless, industry groups like the British International Freight Association (BIFA) have warned that both import and export flows will remain vulnerable in the coming days. The incident has highlighted ongoing concerns about infrastructure resiliency at key global hubs like Heathrow.

Kintetsu World Express will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as the ratification process progresses. We remain committed to supporting your supply chain needs and ensuring the seamless movement of your goods. For further assistance, please reach out to your local KWE representative.

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