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HISTORICAL FACTS: 2 | History Defined

Fire that shut Heathrow Airport caused by technical fault known for years, report says

Europe's busiest air hub was shut down for around 18 hours on 21 March after a fire at the North Hyde substation in west London knocked out power to the airport.

Euronews

Heathrow fires: What caused the substation blaze which led to travel chaos

A new report unveils that a catastrophic failure by the National Grid led to the power outage, prompting an Ofgem investigation into preventable faults

Evening Standard

National Grid aware of fault behind Heathrow shutdown fire for seven years

National Grid blamed for failing to act on known transformer problem, while Heathrow accepted risk as a ‘high-impact, low-probability event’

The Independent UK

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Fire That Closed Heathrow Traced To Unrepaired Transformer

A fire at an electrical substation that forced a shutdown at London's Heathrow Airport in March was likely caused by moisture entering electrical components, a problem first flagged in 2018, a report said Wednesday.

International Business Times

Substation fire that shut Heathrow Airport was preventable, says watchdog report

Ofgem said it had opened an official enforcement investigation into National Grid Electricity Transmission.

Evening Standard

Heathrow substation fire ‘caused by fault first identified seven years ago’

Ofgem opens investigation into National Grid as report finds incident that cut airport power was preventable

The Guardian - UK

Heathrow fire caused by preventable fault, report finds, as Ofgem launches investigation into incident – as it happened

Fire caused by ‘catastrophic failure’ on one of transformer’s high voltage bushings, a ‘technical fault’ most likely caused by moisture and first detected in 2018

The Guardian - UK

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Great Britain’s energy networks to get £24bn upgrade but bills to rise

Ofgem approves investment amid push by government to expand UK’s renewables sector

The Guardian - UK

High-flying Young Electricians Wire UK Energy Switch

Perched 45 metres (148 feet) high, young apprentice electricians replace a connection atop a pylon.

International Business Times

National Grid boss: Heathrow and TfL outages not ‘systemic’ network issues

John Pettigrew said the incidents in April and May were ‘isolated and unconnected’ and said the resilience of the power grid is ‘very robust’.

Evening Standard

Tube power cut: Full scale of chaos revealed as 20 stations shut and trains left in tunnels in network collapse

Six Tube lines and Elizabeth line affected after fire at electricity substation

Evening Standard

What Caused Major London Power Failure? Chaos Hits Underground In City-Wide Disruption

A National Grid failure on 12 May 2025 crippled London Underground, suspending Bakerloo, Waterloo and City, and more

International Business Times UK

Watchdog criticises TfL over poor communication during power failure

London TravelWatch said the organisation should do ‘much better’ in how it provides information to passengers when things go wrong.

Evening Standard

Cable fault causes London Underground disruption and fire

The Elizabeth, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines were all disrupted on Monday afternoon.

Evening Standard

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The Independent UK

Mystery surrounds cause of fire that sparked Heathrow shutdown and mass flight disruption

More than 270,000 air passenger journeys were disrupted at Heathrow as a result

The Guardian - UK

Heathrow should not mark its own homework on energy resilience

External examination of choice to close after fire would have more credibility than review by a board director. It is not too late

Evening Standard

Heathrow boss to be questioned by MPs over airport’s closure

Chief executive Thomas Woldbye will give evidence to the Transport Select Committee on Wednesday.

Evening Standard

Pressure mounts on Heathrow boss as airlines threaten legal action over fire shutdown chaos

Warning of potential legal action comes as No10 and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander decline to say they have confidence in Thomas Woldbye

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The Guardian - UK

Was Heathrow’s response to fire at a substation really the best it could do?

Given the airport had uninterrupted power from two other substations, did it have to shut down for long?

Evening Standard

PM ‘deeply concerned’ about Heathrow closure

Some 200,000 passengers were affected as the west London airport was closed for much of Friday after a fire at a nearby electricity substation.

The Independent UK

Heathrow Airport ‘had enough power to avoid shutdown’ after fire

Heathrow had enough power to avoid shutdown, says National Grid

Evening Standard

Is Heathrow back to normal now after flight cancellation chaos?

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled on Friday after a fire at an electrical substation caused a power cut

The Guardian - UK

Heathrow fire: transport secretary says she’d ‘struggle to sleep’ after report airport boss went to bed amid crisis

Heidi Alexander declines to say she has confidence in Thomas Woldbye after airport chaos at the weekend

Evening Standard

Minister says she would have struggled to sleep if running Heathrow

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander made the comment following a report the airport’s chief executive went back to bed after the power outage began.

The Guardian - UK

Monday briefing: Why has the rightwing press turned on Motability?

In today’s newsletter: How a dubious ‘scandal’ about the scheme to help people with serious disabilities get a car made its way into the mainstream

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