Thousands of passengers were left stranded at Heathrow Airport over the weekend after a sudden power outage triggered major disruption. Flights were grounded, terminals became overcrowded, and the incident affected an estimated 200,000 travellers across 1,300 flights.
While the airport has apologised for the inconvenience, questions are now being raised about whether Heathrow had proper contingency plans in place, and whether affected travellers are entitled to claim compensation under UK flight delay rules.
Here’s what we know so far – and what your rights are if you were caught up in the disruption.
What caused the Heathrow Airport delays?
On Friday 22 March, a power outage at Heathrow brought operations to a standstill. The disruption was caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation. The chaos continued well into the weekend. Heathrow’s CEO described the outage as “as big as it gets for our airport,” admitting that “we cannot guard ourselves 100%” against all such incidents.
Passengers are not due flight delay compensation for ‘extraordinary circumstances’
Under UK law, passengers are normally entitled to compensation for flight delays or cancellations if:
- The flight was departing from a UK or EU airport, or arriving in the UK/EU on a UK/EU airline, and
- The delay was 3 hours or more.
However, airlines are not required to pay compensation if the delay was caused by ‘extraordinary circumstances’. That is, events outside their control that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.
Examples of extraordinary circumstances include:
- Severe weather conditions
- Acts of terrorism or sabotage
- Security risks
- Political instability
- Strikes (not involving the airline’s employees)
- Hidden manufacturing defects impacting flight safety
- Any other situation deemed ‘extraordinary’ that could not have been avoided with reasonable measures
The airlines will argue the Heathrow outage falls under this exception. As such, passengers are not currently due compensation for the delay or cancellation of their flight.
Why contingency plans matter
The situation took a turn when National Grid pushed back on Heathrow’s version of events.
Speaking to the Financial Times, John Pettigrew, CEO of the National Grid, said the airport had access to power from other substations. This suggests it was the airport’s internal systems – not a shortage of supply – that caused the ongoing disruption.
When asked if she had full confidence in Heathrow’s leadership, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said it was a matter for the airport’s board to address. The Prime Minister said there were “questions that need to be answered” on how the incident occurred.
These developments raise serious concerns about Heathrow’s emergency preparedness. If the chaos was not entirely due to external events, but instead due to failures in the airport’s internal infrastructure, emergency protocols, or lack of redundancy systems, then passengers might yet have grounds for compensation, depending on how responsibility is ultimately allocated.
Airports are expected to maintain robust systems to respond to power failures and other emergencies. If investigations show that Heathrow could have prevented or mitigated the impact of the outage, legal responsibility could shift, and with it, passengers’ eligibility for compensation.
Think you may be owed compensation?
At this time, flight delay lawyers and consumer rights experts believe passengers are unlikely to receive compensation for this particular incident, as it is currently being treated as an extraordinary circumstance.
However, you still have rights.
If your flight was cancelled or delayed due to the Heathrow power outage:
- You are entitled to a refund for any part of the journey not completed.
- If you chose to continue your journey, the airline should have booked you on an alternative flight, at no extra cost.
- If you opted to wait for a new flight, the airline must have provided care and assistance – including meals, refreshments, and potentially hotel accommodation if an overnight stay was required.
- You may be entitled to a full refund under your travel insurance policy, depending on your coverage.
To ensure you get everything you are due, keep all receipts, booking details, and communication from the airline. These records will support your case whether you pursue a refund directly or through insurance.
Want to know more about your rights under UK flight delay rules?
Visit our Flight Delays Claim page to check your eligibility and understand what you’re entitled to.
