On Friday, London Heathrow's blackout, based on the airport, has placed the potentially weak infrastructure, while the UK's largest center presses an ambitious expansion plan.
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(Bloomberg) – On Friday, the London Heathrow's blackout, based on the airport on the infrastructure that is likely to be weak in focusing, while the largest center in the UK is pressing for an ambitious expansion plan.
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A fire late on Thursday at a nearby electric sub -station that cut power supplies to Heathrow, brings flights to a dead end throughout Friday. While backup systems began, they only allow the center to land in some aircraft and evacuate passengers, but not to support full operations. Only late Friday, some flights resumed, mainly to return the passengers who returned home.
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The general reaction to the power outage was quickly, with Willie Walsh, the former CEO of British Air Air Mothers and now IATA manager, saying it is “another issue of Heathrow that floundered both travelers and airlines.”
Walsh said that “a clear failure to plan by the airport” if the critical national infrastructure depends on one energy source without an alternative.
At the same time, given that the most crowded airports in Europe uses the largest amount of energy like a small city, maintaining the ability to suffice in the reserve to meet this demand is complex. Heathrow did not suffer from this range in at least two decades, with previous disorders usually caused by computer or air weather.
“Many people may say that the level of repetition is greater can have been built, but in the end you must pay the price of that,” said Robin Press, a lecturer in future energy systems at Manchester University. “It is the issue of how much you are ready to pay the price of situations that are unlikely to arise.”
Press said that the airports around the UK are linked to sub -stations similar to Heathrow, and it is not unusual for some to rely on one source. Press said in an interview that what is different this time is the catastrophic failure that followed.
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John Lovhid, an electrical engineering expert at the Engineering and Technology Corporation, said these fires are rare, these fires can be caused by various factors. Some equipment in sub -stations, such as oil and circuit breakers, are flammable or can lead to explosions.
He said in an email: “It is surprising that as part of our critical national infrastructure, Heathrow does not have an alternative show in the event of such incidents.”
The accident comes at a time when Heathrow is trying to put himself to expand and stay able to compete against other international centers such as Dubai and Paris. Heathrow recently obtained the green light from the UK government to build a third runway, a concept that has been considered for decades, in an attempt to increase the number of passengers.
Heathrow also installs the luggage of the next generation through the security corridors at all its stations. The airport is scheduled to be absent on the deadline of the government in June, which has already spanned for a year, Bloomberg News said earlier this month.
Jay Gratton, assistant professor at aviation and environment at the University of Cranfield, said that the repercussions of Friday could have been worse he had already a third runway. He said that there is a few backups all over the UK airports to help absorb the thirsty passengers from the closure of Heathrow.
“Heathro extends nearly 100 % saturation,” Gratton said.
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