Reuters reported that experts said that the temporary closure of UK Heathrow airport after the serious fire on March 20 could affect the global aviation system for many days and cause tens of millions of USD in damage.
After estimating costs and the scope of impact, experts said that the multiple fire at Heathrow airport had a more serious disruption than the incident that shocked Europe - the volcano that broke out in Iceland in 2010.
All power sources, including the main and reserve sources of Heathrow Airport, were completely cut off when the fire broke out. This raises questions about why the world's fifth largest airport does not have a better backup plan.
According to the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Mr. Willie Walsh - who has long criticized the overload of Heathrow, the fire was a "failure in planning the airport".
Travel consultant Paul Charles predicts that the aviation industry could suffer as much as £20 million ($26 million) a day when Heathrow closes. Mr. Charles said that Heathrow is an essential part of the UK's infrastructure, so the airport must have an absolutely safe backup system.
Although Heathrow airport returned to normal operations on 22 March, analysts still warn that the chain reaction could last for many days.
According to international risk management expert Tony Cox, there has never been a case of a major infrastructure being completely closed for at least 1 day due to just one fire. I cant think of any similar incidents, Mr. Cox said.
The chaos also shows the vulnerability of critical infrastructure as security is becoming a top priority in Europe.
The fire broke out at 11pm on 20/3 (local time), forcing flights to switch to other airports across the UK and Europe. Many long-haul flights even have to return to their starting point. All 1,332 flights scheduled for March 21 were canceled, according to Heathrow.
British police said anti-terrorism forces are investigating the incident, but there were no initial signs of sabotage in the transformer station fire.
The suspension comes less than a year after Heathrow submitted a report to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stating: The unit is at the forefront of aviation incident resistance. Heathrow is Europe's busiest airport in terms of operating capacity, data company OAG said.
Previously, in 2023, Heathrow completed a new energy strategy, committing to increasing the use of renewable energy as long as it ensures the sustainability of the energy grid, according to the latest annual report.
The CAA said its regulations require Heathrow to have a contingency plan and coordinate with relevant parties to manage and fix the incident. There will definitely be lessons learned from this event, said a CAA spokesperson.
However, Heathrow has yet to immediately respond to a request for comment on the emergency response plan.
