Heathrow power outage: A wake-up call for systemic resilience
The sudden closure of Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, following a fire at an electrical substation in Hayes has created widespread disruption, with ripple effects across the global aviation network. Over 1,300 flights have been canceled or diverted, thousands of passengers left stranded, and more than 4,900 homes have been without power. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the consequences are serious - and not entirely unforeseeable.
For resilience professionals, this incident highlights several systemic vulnerabilities. Despite decades of investment in infrastructure and planning, a single point of failure - a substation - of what is considered a supplier has managed to halt operations at a critical national transportation hub. The idea that such an event is “unprecedented,” as some reporters suggest, is not enough to explain the lack of preparedness. What it reveals is not a rare occurrence, but a gap in redundancy, coordination, and operational resilience across the aviation and critical national infrastructure ecosystem.
The BCI’s Crisis Management Report1 identified third-party failures as the second most common trigger for crisis plans. Heathrow’s fire is a textbook example, impacting not one airport but the air transport system as a whole.
What went wrong?
Lack of redundancy: There appears to be limited backup for critical power infrastructure supporting Heathrow - an airport processing over 200,000 passengers daily.
Fragmented contingency planning: flights were diverted to other airports worldwide. The lack of regional coordination highlights the reactive nature of the response and the lack of effective resilience strategies.
Siloed BC efforts: each stakeholder - airlines, airports, air traffic control, regulators - likely had their own business continuity plans. But were these plans aligned, rehearsed together, or even shared?
Practical takeaways for resilience professionals
This incident is a powerful reminder to re-evaluate how organizations plan, communicate, and coordinate within complex, interconnected systems. It also serves as a critical wake-up call for the UK’s national infrastructure strategy and resilience planning.
Design for failure: redundancy in critical infrastructure isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Identify and eliminate single points of failure where possible.
Collaborate beyond your walls: break the silos. Work with third parties - competitors, partners, suppliers, and regulators - to develop integrated, systemic BC and resilience strategies.
Operational resilience, not just continuity: go beyond recovery. Understand and plan for the impact your failure might have on customers and the wider market.
Train for agility: build your team's ability to pivot and adapt quickly - much like Ryanair’s rescue flights - rather than only follow static plans.
Communicate with empathy and speed: crises are human events. Use proactive, honest, and customer-centered messaging across channels, especially social media.
Learn and improve: use this event as a catalyst for review. Update plans, test assumptions, and simulate interdependencies.
In the face of mounting complexity and interconnected risk, resilience must be a collective effort.
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About the author
Maria Florencia Lombardero Garcia
Thought Leadership Manager, The BCI
