LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT TO RESUME SOME FLIGHTS AFTER POWER OUTAGE

LONDON, March 22 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday announced it will resume some flights following a major power outage that caused widespread disruption, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

In a statement, a Heathrow spokesperson apologised for the inconvenience and confirmed that efforts to restore operations have been ongoing since the incident.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly since the incident to ensure a speedy recovery. We’re pleased to say we’re now safely able to begin some flights later today,” the spokesperson said.

The first flights to depart will be repatriation flights and those relocating aircraft. The airport has urged passengers not to travel unless explicitly advised by their airline.

“We will now work with the airlines on repatriating the passengers who were diverted to other airports in Europe,” the spokesperson added. “We hope to run a full operation tomorrow and will provide further information shortly.”

Heathrow highlighted the challenges of restoring full operations, given that it consumes as much energy as a small city.

British Airways has received clearance for eight long-haul flights to depart from Heathrow Airport Friday, starting at 7 pm local time, the airline announced in a statement.

The airport is now “urgently contacting customers to let them know so they can make their way to the airport,” it added

More than 100,000 British Airways customers had their flights cancelled.

Anadolu reported the International Air Transport Association (IATA) slammed the Heathrow management after a power outage forced its closure due to the airport’s reliance on a single power source, sparking global travel chaos.

“This is yet another case of Heathrow letting down both travelers and airlines,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh in a statement.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU