Ruth Haines
Power outages at airports can cause significant disruptions to operations, leading to flight delays and cancellations. Airports are enhancing their electrical resilience by conducting infrastructure assessments, improving electrical systems, and installing backup power sources. Despite these efforts, outages continue to occur, with Heathrow Airport in London and Newark Liberty International Airport in the US experiencing recent disruptions due to power-related issues. Heathrow Airport closed temporarily due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, while Newark Airport faced radar outages and air traffic control issues. These incidents highlight the ongoing challenges of ensuring uninterrupted power supply and effective air traffic management at busy airports.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | March 21, 2025 |
| Airport | Heathrow Airport, London |
| Reason | Fire at a nearby electrical substation |
| Impact | Terminals 2 and 4 without power, 5,000 homes impacted |
| Flights | Some flights resumed, British Airways cleared eight long-haul flights |
| Safety | CEO Thomas Woldbye stated safety as the top priority |
| Stock Impact | Intercontinental Hotel Group fell 2.5%, British Airways owner IAG traded 2% lower |
| Recovery | Expected to be fully operational by the next day |
| Investigation | Led by London Fire Brigade, supported by scientific advisors and police |
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What You'll Learn
Power outages at airports can be dangerous and costly
While searching for "will the airport lose power tonight", I came across an incident where Heathrow Airport in London faced a power outage due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation. This caused the airport to shut down, impacting incoming and outgoing flights and disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers. Power outages at airports can indeed be dangerous and costly, as further illustrated by the following examples and explanations.
Power outages at airports can have significant impacts and far-reaching consequences. A sudden loss of electricity can bring airport operations to a grinding halt, affecting a wide range of critical systems and services. This includes essential functions such as passenger check-in, security screening with metal detectors and X-ray machines, lighting, air conditioning, heating, and the operation of moving walkways and elevators. The result is widespread disruption, with flights being delayed or cancelled, causing inconvenience and financial losses for airlines, passengers, and businesses.
The impact of power outages at airports goes beyond just the immediate disruption. In the case of Heathrow Airport, the power outage caused a drop in the shares of global hotel and airline stocks. Intercontinental Hotel Group fell by 2.5%, while British Airways' owner, IAG, saw a decline of nearly 2% on the London Stock Exchange. This highlights the economic ripple effects that can occur when airports experience power disruptions, affecting not just the aviation industry but also the wider business and investment landscape.
Power outages at airports can also have safety implications. In the case of Heathrow, the airport CEO, Thomas Woldbye, made the decision to close the airport due to concerns about the safety of passengers and staff. When critical systems fail, such as security screening equipment and lighting, the risk of accidents and security breaches increases. This can put people at risk and also impact the smooth flow of air traffic, potentially leading to diversions and further disruptions.
To mitigate the risks and impacts of power outages, airports are investing in enhancing their electrical resilience. This includes installing backup generators, solar panels, and even exploring the use of microgrids – independent systems that can generate, distribute, and store power. By improving their ability to withstand and rapidly recover from power disruptions, airports can minimize the potential dangers and costs associated with electrical failures.
In summary, power outages at airports can indeed be dangerous and costly. They disrupt critical operations, impact passenger safety and convenience, cause financial losses, and have far-reaching economic consequences. To address these challenges, airports are taking proactive measures to enhance their electrical infrastructure and improve their resilience to power disruptions. By investing in backup systems and new technologies, airports can minimize the risks and impacts of power outages, ensuring safer and more reliable operations.
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Causes of airport power outages
A power outage at an airport can cause chaos, with flights delayed, cancelled, or even grounded. It can also cause a huge loss of revenue, with the cost of the power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2017 estimated at around $50 million.
There are several reasons why an airport may lose power. In some cases, it can be due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, as was the case with Heathrow Airport in London. In other instances, it could be due to a radar or telecommunications outage, as seen at Newark Liberty International Airport, which was caused by "the same telecom and software issues".
Power outages can also occur due to ageing infrastructure, as seen with the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport outage, which was caused by a fire at the airport that highlighted design issues and ageing infrastructure. In some cases, it could be due to unknown reasons, as was the case with a massive electricity outage that hit Spain and Portugal, affecting major cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon, with the cause believed to be related to the European electricity system.
To mitigate the impact of power outages, some airports have implemented backup power systems, such as diesel generators or solar power, to ensure that operations can continue even during a power outage.
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Heathrow Airport power outage
Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest travel hub, experienced a power outage following a fire at a nearby electrical substation. The fire caused the airport to shut down for almost an entire day, causing global travel delays. More than 30 departing flights were cancelled, over 15 were delayed, and more than 70 expected arrivals were cancelled.
The airport's CEO, Thomas Woldbye, stated that the airport could not be operated safely following the power loss and that the safety of passengers and colleagues was the top priority. Power was restored to Heathrow seven hours before flights resumed.
Heathrow Airport uses three electricity substations, each with a backup. There are also backup diesel generators and uninterruptible battery-powered supplies that provide enough power to maintain safety-critical systems. However, when the fire broke out, the affected substation, along with its backup, was out of action. The airport's main fallback was the two remaining substations, but it takes time to switch them, according to Woldbye.
The power outage raised questions about the resilience of such a major transport hub. An investigation into the cause and response to the power outage has been announced, with Heathrow also reviewing its response and crisis management plans. Engineering experts have stated that it is possible to create robust backup systems to maintain normal operations during a catastrophic power failure, but it could cost around $100 million and take years to implement.
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Newark Airport radar outage
On Friday, May 9, 2025, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey experienced a radar outage that lasted about 90 seconds. This outage caused significant delays and cancellations at the airport, which is one of the busiest in the United States, handling over 500 departures per day.
The radar outage began at 3:55 a.m. and affected the communications and radar displays at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility in Philadelphia, which manages the airspace around Newark. Air traffic controllers at Newark lost the ability to see planes on their radar scopes and could not communicate with pilots. During the outage, a controller instructed a private jet arriving from Cyprus to maintain an altitude of 3,000 feet or above in case communication could not be re-established during its descent.
This incident was the latest in a series of radar outages at Newark, with previous outages occurring on April 28 and May 5. The April 28 outage led to the grounding of hundreds of flights as the FAA slowed down traffic to ensure safety. Five controllers went on trauma leave after that outage, exacerbating staffing shortages.
The radar outages at Newark have highlighted the need for upgrades to the nation's air traffic control system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced a multibillion-dollar plan to replace old telecommunications infrastructure with new fiber-optic cables, modern hardware and software, and satellite technologies. The plan also includes the replacement of 618 radars and the construction of six new air traffic control centers.
The root cause of the radar outages at Newark has been attributed to "'the same telecom and software issues" affecting the facility in Philadelphia that manages Newark's airspace. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt assured the public that federal transportation officials are working to address these technical issues to prevent further outages.
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How airports are enhancing electrical resilience
While power outages at airports are rare, they can occur due to various reasons, including fires at electrical substations, and can cause significant disruptions. For instance, in 2025, a fire at a power substation near Heathrow Airport in London caused a power outage that led to the cancellation of several flights. Similarly, in 2025, a radar outage at Newark Liberty International Airport in the United States delayed flights for hours.
To enhance electrical resilience and minimize future disruptions, airports are taking several measures. Firstly, they are improving their electrical infrastructure by installing backup generators and solar panels to ensure a continuous supply of electricity in case of disruptions. Additionally, some airports are considering or have installed microgrids, which are systems that can independently generate, distribute, and store power. Microgrids provide airports with greater control over their energy supply and reduce their reliance on external power sources.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States is also playing a crucial role in supporting airports' electrical resilience efforts. The FAA offers new and expanded grant programs to help fund projects related to enhancing electrical resilience. For example, the Airport Improvement Program now includes funding for projects related to energy supply, redundancy, and microgrids. The FAA also provides guidance and conducts outreach to increase airports' awareness of available federal funding for resilience projects.
By investing in infrastructure projects, backup power solutions, and exploring innovative technologies like microgrids, airports are enhancing their electrical resilience to ensure reliable operations and minimize disruptions caused by power outages. These efforts are crucial to maintaining the safety and efficiency of airport operations and improving the overall travel experience for passengers.
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Frequently asked questions
It is impossible to say for certain whether or not an airport will lose power on any given night. However, power outages at airports are not uncommon, with 24 of the 30 commercial service airports that responded to a GAO survey reporting a total of 321 electrical power outages between 2015 and 2022. Airports are enhancing their ability to withstand and recover from power disruptions by improving their electrical infrastructure and installing backup power sources.
Power outages at airports can be caused by a variety of factors, including fires at electrical substations, equipment failures, telecommunications issues, and human error.
A power outage at an airport can have significant impacts, including flight delays and cancellations, disruption to airport operations and equipment, and financial costs for airlines and airports. For example, a power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2017 resulted in about 1,200 cancelled flights and cost an airline around $50 million.
Airports can take several actions to prevent power outages and mitigate their impacts, including conducting electrical infrastructure assessments, improving electrical infrastructure, installing backup power sources such as generators or solar panels, and implementing microgrid systems that can independently generate, distribute, and store power.
