What it means to aviation, according to a travel expert

Closing at London Heathrow Airport because of nearby The fire on Friday has focused on the ability of the aviation industry to deal with a crisis, according to an expert in the tourism industry.

During writing, Heathrow stayed closed After a fire in an electric substation that caused an interruption of power supply on Friday.

“The growth of the (aviation) industry happens faster than infrastructure growth,” says Anita Medira, founder of the AM&A consulting activity which emphasized that aviation should become more resistant to incidents such as interruption of energy supply or for geopolitical or meteorological events.

Heathrow’s interruption “puts a spotlight on the need to make sure that the entire energy supply network for every … Airport around the world has a sufficient ability to deal with a crisis,” Medira told CNBC’s Squawk Box on Friday. “All this is a very dramatic training curve.”

The reserve generator was also affected by the flame, raising questions about the sustainability of the maintenance energy infrastructure, according to the Minister of Energy of the UK Ed Miliband, while Willie Walsh, CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) described Relying on Heathrow on a “single” source of energy such as a “clear failure of planning” from the airport.

In a statement by email Heathrow said there were numerous energy sources. “Our archived systems are safety systems that allow us to land planes and evacuate passengers safely, but they are not designed to allow us to have a complete operation,” Heathrow said.

Globally, both internal and international air trafficking exceeded the levels before Covid-19 in early 2024, According to YatataAnd the number of passengers is expected to increase by an average of 3.8% annually by 2043, compared to 2023.

“Although much of the focus of the story is a lot on Heathrow and passengers, what we should also consider is over and above passenger traffic, over 4000 tonnes of loads pass through Heathrow every day,” the Medira added.

Heathrow Airport handled a record 83.9 million passengers In 2024 – by nearly 6% compared to the previous year – while its freight transport increased by 10%.

Whether passengers can receive compensation for canceled flights depends on the conditions of their airlines, the Mendira said. Since Heathrow’s fire appears to be out of control of airlines, A similar recovery cannot be paid according to a note issued by Citi Friday.

Investors will consider short -term costs such as food and drink, accommodation, alternative flights or land transport for passengers affected by cancellation, MendiraTa flagAnyway, look at how airlines manage customer care in the long run.

“This will ultimately be the basis of customer retention, which in terms of investors will be very important … This is a significant calculation,” she said.

Third track at Heathrow Airport has long been seasoned, with it Executive Director Pressing the United Kingdom Government Decide on the controversial expansion by the end of the year. British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves said the additional track is “poorly needed“In January speech.

Meanwhile the aviation industry insists forward with Sustainable aviation transactions with fuel To help achieve decarbonisation goals.

“As we pass into the future and look at sustainable aviation, now the infrastructure can now consider green technologies that are vital to allow aviation to continue to grow, but to grow in a healthy way,” Mendiratha said.

– Jenny Reed of CNBC has contributed to this report.