IATA criticises Heathrow over possible 'planning failure'

The airline industry trade body has attacked Heathrow management for what appeared to be a "clear planning failure" in not having a sufficient backup power source after a fire at a local electricity substation causing an outage and closed the airport.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general Willie Walsh said the cancellation and diversion of thousands of flights was "yet another case of Heathrow letting down both travelers and airlines".

"That begs some serious questions. Firstly, how is it that critical infrastructure—of national and global importance—is totally dependent on a single power source without an alternative. If that is the case—as it seems—then it is a clear planning failure by the airport."

Flights that were already enroute to the west London airport were forced to divert to other airports. Video footage showed an enormous blaze at the substation in Hayes, west London in the early hours of Friday morning which also affected 16,000 homes.

Passengers have been told not to travel to the airport “under any circumstances” and warned “significant disruption” is expected in the coming days.

Walsh, who used to be head of British Airways, said the closure also raised the question of who would foot the bill for taking care of disrupted travelers.

"We must find a fairer allocation of passenger care costs than airlines alone picking up the tab when infrastructure fails. Until that happens, Heathrow has very little incentive to improve,” he said.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com