LHR closure disrupts cargo operations

London Heathrow Airport canceled operations today after a power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation, affecting cargo and passenger movement. The airport (LHR) initially said it would be closed through midnight local time, but it has restored power and “is now safely able to restart flights,” LHR said on its website at around 7:30 p.m. local time. [caption id="attachment_57149687" align="aligncenter" width="1803"] A CargoLogicAir 747-8F takes on cargo at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). (Courtesy/LHR)[/caption] “To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will [be] running a reduced operation prioritizing repatriation and relocation of aircraft,” LHR said. LHR had throughput of 1.5 million tonnes of cargo in 2024, according to the airport, most of which was carried in passenger aircraft bellyhold. The airport saw 866 flights canceled today and twenty-five thirty delayed, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Carriers affected International Airlines Group (IAG) subsidiary British Airways, which has its main hub at LHR, was the hardest hit carrier with 531 canceled flights, according to FlightAware. IAG Cargo , the cargo arm of IAG, said on its website that it was “unable to accept any freight at London Heathrow.”. The second most affected airline was Virgin Atlantic, which also maintains a hub at LHR, with thirty-nine canceled flights, according to FlightAware. Virgin Atlantic was still able to accept export cargo to deliver into dnata City East, the facilities where ground handler dnata handles all Virgin Atlantic’s cargo to and from LHR, the carrier told Cargo Facts . “Our teams are working to rebook shipments, and customers will be able to see new booking details on the Virgin Atlantic Cargo Track and Trace,” the carrier said. “Virgin Atlantic Cargo is also still open for imports to come and be collected as normal.” Other impacted carriers, according to FlightAware, include: Lufthansa with thirty-five canceled flights; Aer Lingus with thirty-three; American Airlines with twenty-one; Swiss and Scandinavian Airlines, with twenty each; United Airlines with nineteen; KLM with thirteen; TAP Air Portugal, Air France and SAS, with eleven each; and Finnair and Delta Air Lines with ten each. Effects on supply chain The impact of today’s closure “will be significant on both import and export movements,” the British International Freight Association (BIFA) said in a statement today. “For exports, the immediate concern will be that airline sheds will fill up rapidly and be unable to accept fresh freight deliveries, which will then affect other parties,” BIFA said. “For imports, freight will not arrive at or be diverted from its original final destination.” Once operations are fully restored at LHR, the influx of passengers seeking seats and checking baggage will restrict bellyhold capacity for cargo, BIFA said. Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

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