Airports Affected By Outage: A Comprehensive Overview

Airports are complex systems that are vulnerable to disruptions, and when outages occur, the impact can be far-reaching. In March 2025, a fire at an electrical substation caused a power outage that shut down Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest transport hubs, stranding tens of thousands of passengers. This incident highlighted the need for airports to have backup energy sources to maintain operations during crises. In February 2025, an hour-long system outage at the Oakland Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center disrupted flights across the US West Coast and Hawaii. Additionally, in July 2024, a global IT outage caused by a software update affected airports worldwide, leading to over 5,000 flight cancellations and long queues at multiple airports. These events underscore the significant consequences of airport outages and the critical need for robust backup systems to ensure the smooth functioning of air travel.

London's Heathrow Airport closed due to a fire at an electricity substation

London's Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest aviation hubs, was forced to close after a fire at a nearby electricity substation caused a power outage. The fire broke out on Thursday night, and by Friday, the airport was closed, causing travel havoc for thousands of passengers and disrupting global travel. Heathrow's chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, called the situation unprecedented.

The substation in Hayes, England, held 25,000 litres of cooling oil, which fuelled a large blaze that was challenging to extinguish. The London Fire Brigade said about 5% of the fire was still burning on Friday evening, but power was restored, and planes resumed landing. Heathrow's backup systems worked as expected, but they were not designed to run full operations, and a backup generator was also affected by the blaze.

The closure raised questions about the resilience of the airport's supporting energy infrastructure. Heathrow's reliance on a single power source was described as a clear planning failure by Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The airport's shutdown put a spotlight on the need for sufficient energy supply and crisis management capabilities in airports worldwide.

The impact of the closure was far-reaching, with planes diverted to other airports in Britain and Europe, and long-haul flights returning to their departure points. Heathrow had been scheduled to handle approximately 1,350 flights and approximately 291,000 passengers on Friday. The ripple effects of the shutdown were expected to cause delays throughout the weekend, impacting hundreds of thousands of passengers worldwide.

The investigation into the fire's cause, led by counter-terrorism police, found no indication of foul play, and it was likely accidental. Heathrow partially reopened on Friday evening, but airlines warned of a continued impact on travellers in the following days. The financial implications of the closure are also significant, with the industry facing potential losses of tens of millions of pounds.

Oakland Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center outage affected flights across the US West Coast and Hawaii

On February 22, 2025, an IT outage at the Oakland Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) caused flight disruptions across the US West Coast and Hawaii. The issue was attributed to the failure of the Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures (ATOP) Ocean21 system, which is responsible for managing a significant volume of air traffic in the region.

The hour-long outage resulted in delays, diversions, and holding patterns for flights departing from several West Coast airports, including San Francisco Airport (SFO), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Airlines affected included United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and several Hawaiian Airlines flights. One affected United Airlines flight, scheduled to fly from San Francisco to Kauai, Hawaii, was forced to return to SFO after flying in a circular holding pattern.

The Oakland ARTCC plays a crucial role in controlling airspace across the Pacific region, providing air traffic control services at flight level 055 and above. The center also handles arrival and departure services at major island airports in the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Christmas Island, and the United States Minor Outlying Islands.

The FAA has acknowledged that the Oakland ARTCC has faced issues causing air traffic control problems and flight disruptions in recent years. The ATOP system, which replaced the previous FAA oceanic air traffic control system (ODAPS), is intended to integrate flight and radar data processing and modernize oceanic automation systems. However, the outage incident highlights the ongoing challenges in ensuring the resilience of aviation infrastructure to keep pace with the industry's growth.

CrowdStrike software update caused an IT outage, grounding flights worldwide

On July 19, 2024, a botched software update from security vendor CrowdStrike caused what may be the largest IT outage in history. The update affected millions of Windows systems worldwide, with the infamous "Blue Screen of Death" appearing on screens from Macy's flagship store in New York City to airports in India. The outage had a cascading effect on global IT systems, disrupting industries ranging from banking to airlines.

The CrowdStrike Falcon platform, which is widely used by organizations of all sizes and across many industries, is at the core of the outage. Falcon hooks into the Microsoft Windows OS as a Windows kernel process, and the update contained a logic flaw that caused it to crash. The tight integration of Falcon into the Windows kernel resulted in a widespread Windows system crash.

The impact of the outage on the aviation industry was significant, with thousands of flights grounded worldwide and significant delays and cancellations. In the United States, Delta, United, and American Airlines were forced to cancel hundreds of flights. Delta was the hardest hit, with more than 1,200 flights cancelled on Friday and a total of over 7,000 flights cancelled over five days. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta's largest hub and the busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic, was particularly affected, with thousands of stranded travellers forced to spend the night.

Globally, multiple airlines and airports were affected, including Swiss International Air Lines, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Wizz Air, KLM, Porter Airlines, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Zurich Airport, and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. In Greece, citizens and tourists experienced delays at major airports, including Athens International Airport and Heraklion International Airport, resulting in chaotic scenes as passengers were forced to wait for hours.

Zurich Airport landings suspended, causing delays

A global IT breakdown on Friday, July 18, 2024, impacted Zurich Airport, suspending landings and causing delays. The airport announced that landings were no longer possible, although flights destined for Zurich that were already airborne were allowed to land. The issue was blamed on a faulty update to CrowdStrike, software that monitors computers and internet connections for signs of hackers and viruses.

The IT outage affected airports and companies worldwide, including public transport, broadcasters, banks, and supermarkets. American Airlines, United, and Delta issued a "global ground stop" on their flights, meaning that while services currently airborne would continue, no planes would take off until further notice. Zurich Airport estimated that around 100 flights were canceled, with many more delayed, and check-in had to be done manually in some cases.

The disruption at Zurich Airport was part of a broader issue affecting airports in Switzerland, with Geneva Airport also impacted. Zurich and Geneva airports reduced transit traffic capacity by 30%, leading to further delays for departing flights. Passengers were advised to check the status of their flights with their airlines.

The global IT outage highlighted the need for a cohesive ATC system in Europe. The issue has raised questions about the resilience of supporting energy infrastructure and the reliance of critical infrastructure on single power sources. The closure of London's Heathrow Airport due to a fire at an electricity substation on the same day also brought attention to the aviation industry's ability to manage crises effectively.

Heathrow's reliance on a single power source called a clear planning failure

Heathrow Airport, one of the world's major transport hubs, was shut down due to a power outage caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation. This disruption stranded tens of thousands of passengers and affected travellers worldwide, with wide-reaching effects on other airports such as Singapore Changi Airport.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticised Heathrow's management, stating that the airport's reliance on a single power source, without an alternative, was a clear planning failure. This sentiment was echoed by the UK Energy Minister, Ed Miliband, who questioned the resilience of the supporting energy infrastructure, as even the back-up generator was affected by the blaze.

Heathrow Airport's spokesperson defended their energy systems, stating that they have multiple sources of energy. They acknowledged that their back-up systems are designed for safety and evacuation purposes and not for running full operations. However, this explanation did little to assuage the concerns of experts and the public.

The airport's closure brought attention to the rapid growth of the aviation industry, which is outpacing the development of supporting infrastructure. Heathrow, in particular, handles a significant volume of passenger and cargo traffic, with 83.9 million passengers and a 10% increase in cargo transportation in 2024. The shutdown highlighted the need for airports to have sufficient energy supply and crisis management capabilities to handle such incidents effectively.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Heathrow and the government had been warned a decade ago about the airport's over-reliance on a limited number of power sources. A report by Jacobs consultants in 2014 identified this issue as a key weakness, yet it appears that effective mitigation measures were not implemented. This incident has prompted calls for investigations and improvements to ensure that Heathrow Airport, a critical component of the UK economy, enhances its resilience and contingency arrangements.

Frequently asked questions