Flights started landing again at London's Heathrow Airport on Saturday morning after a fire caused a 14-hour shutdown that disrupted travel worldwide and caused ripple effects for the aviation industry.
British Airways' BA56 from Johannesburg, South Africa, was the first regular passenger flight to land at Heathrow since Thursday evening. It touched down at around 4.30am.
“Flights have resumed at Heathrow following yesterday's power cut,” Heathrow said on Saturday in a post on X. “If you are due to travel today, we advise you to still contact your airline for your latest flight information before heading to the airport.”
Emirates said it would resume flight operations starting with EK07 from Dubai to London Heathrow on Saturday.
Etihad Airways said it would “progressively” resume its full flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow during the day. It advised passengers to allow extra time before their flights as the airport was expected to be “very busy”.
Heathrow restarted some flights late on Friday when it said priority would be given to the “repatriation and relocation of aircraft”, after London-bound passengers were diverted to France, Ireland and the Netherlands, and out-of-kilter schedules threatened to cause days of disruption. The airport said it hoped to run a “full operation” on Saturday.
Flag carrier British Airways (BA) was given clearance for eight long-haul flights to depart Heathrow from 7pm on Friday, a statement said.
Heathrow was paralysed on Friday after an overnight fire at an electric substation forced the closure of all four terminals. More than 1,000 flights were cancelled – including over a dozen between London and the UAE.
Britain's National Grid said on Friday afternoon it had “reconfigured” a power network to “resupply the parts of Heathrow” connected to the substation in west London. It called this an “interim solution”.
Passengers were bracing for days of disruption as crews and flights were knocked off schedule. About 120 flights that were already in the air when Heathrow shut down either turned back or diverted to cities including Paris and Amsterdam.
BA, one of the most affected airlines, said the power cut would affect its flights “for many days to come” even once power was fully restored. Chief executive Sean Doyle said more than 100,000 people had been due to fly BA on Friday alone.
“Our crews are only legally allowable to operate for a certain number of hours over any given period of time which adds further complexity into our planning,” he said on Friday. “That means even if things do get back up and running soon, we will have the logistical issue of getting new crews out to operate those aircraft.”
Investigators said there was no initial sign of foul play linked to the fire, which was smoking throughout Friday. But counter-terrorism detectives were leading the investigation because of the significance of the case.
The government said it would “look harder” at how airports can withstand shocks. However, Heathrow said that as an energy consumer on the scale of a small city it could not possibly have backup power for all its operations.
Diesel generators and emergency power supplies “all operated as expected” but were only designed to allow for safe landing and evacuation, not to run the whole airport, Heathrow said. It said it would “take time” to restore power to all affected areas.
All customers scheduled to fly over the weekend would be offered a free rebooking for a later date, Heathrow said. It said it was “working hard to review our long-haul schedule as well as the implications for our schedule for tomorrow and beyond”.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the disruption could stretch “over the coming days”. London's other airports, including Gatwick and Stansted, were open on Friday but many flights were fully booked.
'Distress and disruption'
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the chaos caused “distress and disruption”, after the fire cut power to more than 60,000 customers early on Friday. The airport said it had suffered a “significant power cut” due to the blaze at the electrical substation.
Some passengers were confused by messages from airlines telling them their flight was still running.
Elvina Quaison, who planned to fly from London to Dubai, said a message at 8am on Friday told her she could “go ahead as normal”, but in fact there was no way through at Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic asked people not to phone due to high call volumes, saying they should await details of a rebooked flight by email. The British Airways website struggled under the strain as the airline said it was working as quickly as possible to update passengers on their travel options.
Aviation consultant John Strickland said it would take days for Heathrow to recover as crews and aircraft would not be in the right place. “With nothing possible in and out of the airport [on Friday], that’s a massive dislocation to have to recover from,” he said.
“Once an aircraft is in the wrong place with the crew, if you’re away from home you don’t have another crew to suddenly bring the plane and the passengers back. You’ve got to wait until that crew has taken its rest, which is always required after a duty period.”
He likened the disruption to what happened after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, when flights were grounded across the US. He said: “It’s a contained version of 9/11.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, said the National Grid had not seen “anything like the scale” of the fire before. He told broadcasters it “makes Heathrow look quite vulnerable, and therefore, we’ve got to learn lessons”.
How many flights were diverted?
About 120 aircraft already in the air were diverted to alternative airports or returned to their points of departure, Flightradar24 said.
Heathrow handled 83.9 million passengers last year – which averages at just under 230,000 passengers a day. It was the largest international hub after Dubai International Airport, according to data from OAG travel data provider.
Heathrow is also one of the busiest destinations for Gulf airlines. Emirates cancelled 11 flights between Heathrow and Dubai on Friday. It offered customers the option to rebook to other UK airports, or fly on another day.
Etihad cancelled four flights between London and Abu Dhabi. Flight EY61 was diverted to Frankfurt, Germany, which is about two hours from London by air.
Dozens of other Heathrow-bound flights were diverted. An Australian Qantas Airways flight landed in Paris, while a United Airlines flight from New York headed to Shannon, Ireland.
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair said it was putting on extra “rescue flights” between London and Dublin. Eurostar, which runs trains through the Channel Tunnel, increased capacity on its London-to-Paris route.
“The temporary closure of Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest international hubs, represents a seismic disruption to global air travel," Linus Bauer, founder of aviation consultants BAA & Partners, told The National. "The impact is multifaceted, affecting airlines, passengers, cargo logistics, and broader economic activity.”
The airport serves as “a critical connection point for transatlantic and European traffic,” added Mr Bauer. “Any extended closure forces airlines to reroute or cancel hundreds of flights, leading to significant operational costs and logistical challenges.”
What is the knock-on effect on global connections?
Flight diversions to London's secondary airports, such as Gatwick, Stansted – or even major European hubs like Amsterdam or Frankfurt – create congestion and strain their capacities, Mr Bauer said.
“Passengers face delays, potential misconnects, and increased costs, while airlines struggle with crew rotations, aircraft repositioning, and regulatory constraints,” he added.
A short-term disruption of up to a day creates “operational headaches but is manageable”, Mr Bauer said.
The temporary closure of Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest international hubs, represents a seismic disruption to global air travel
Linus Bauer,
founder at BAA & Partners
What is the impact on air cargo?
Beyond passenger travel, Heathrow is a major cargo gateway, handling high-value goods, perishables and time-sensitive shipments.
Disruptions can have “cascading effects” on supply chains, particularly for industries that rely on just-in-time deliveries, such as pharmaceuticals and automotive manufacturing, Mr Bauer.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
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Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
