As Heathrow Airport faces significant disruption following a large-scale power outage today, concerns have mounted over the impact on both passenger and cargo flights. While passengers and operators deal with the immediate fallout—including flight cancellations, diversions, and logistical delays—the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has stepped forward to reassure the public of aviation safety amid the unfolding situation.
READ: London’s Heathrow Airport announces complete shutdown due to power outage
Responding to the temporary closure of Heathrow due to the power failure, Joji Waites, Head of Flight Safety at BALPA, issued the following statement:
“BALPA understands this will cause major disruption for thousands of passengers but for those concerned about aircraft still in the air, or otherwise affected by the disruption, pilots are rigorously trained to deal with such situations and every flight is planned with the possibility of a diversion.”
“The professionalism and adaptability of both pilots and air traffic controllers, and the resilience of the airspace system in which they operate, ensures that flying remains safe.”
Waites went on to explain how aviation operations are built to withstand sudden infrastructure disruptions:
“Every flight takes off with at least one formally nominated alternate aerodrome, and sufficient fuel to get there. It gets more complex when mass disruption events like this occur, rather than just a single diversion, because operators have to find a place to land all the displaced aircraft. Thousands of passengers have to be accommodated and aircraft and crew are often in the wrong place, so it is going to take a few days to get the operation back on track. The public can be reassured that professional pilots are fully prepared for a scenario such as this.”
Heathrow Airport’s power outage, first reported earlier this morning, has affected key systems across terminals, with some reports of flights being grounded or diverted. The exact cause of the outage is still under investigation.
