Which means for aviation, according to an expert in travel

The closure of the Heathrow London airport due to a nearby Fire on Friday has focused on the capacity of the aviation industry to handle a crisis, according to an expert in the travel industry.

At the time of writing Heathrow remained closed After a fire in an electricity substation that caused a blackout on Friday.

“The growth of the industry (aviation) is happening faster than infrastructure growth,” said Anita Mendiraratta, founder of the am & a consultant, who emphasized that aviation should become more resistant to incidents as an interruption of energy supply, or geopolitical or meteorological events.

Heathrow’s interruption is “highlighting the need to ensure that the entire energy supply network for any … Airport around the world has enough capacity to address a crisis,” Mendiraratta told the “CNBC European European European Europe on Friday.” All this is a very dramatic learning curve. “

A backup generator was also affected by the fire, asking questions about the resistance of support energy infrastructure, according to the United Kingdom Energy Minister Ed Miliband, while Willie Walsh, general director of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) described Heathrow’s dependence on a “unique” energy source as a “clear planning” failure of the airport.

In a statement sent by email, Heathrow said he has multiple energy sources. “Our backup systems are security systems that allow us to get airplanes and evacuate passengers safely, but are not designed to allow us to execute a complete operation,” said Heathrow.

Worldwide, national and international air passenger traffic exceeded the levels prior to CO-COVID-19 in early 2024, According to IATAAnd the number of passengers is expected to increase by an average of 3.8% annually to 2043, compared to 2023.

“Although much of the history approach is found in Heathrow and passengers, what we must also take into account is beyond passenger traffic, more than 4,000 tons of cargo pass through Heathrow every day,” Mendiraratta added.

Heathrow Airport handled a record 83.9 million passengers In 2024, almost 6% in the previous year, while its load transport increased by 10%.

If passengers can obtain compensation for canceled flights depends on the terms of their airlines, Mendiratta said. As Heathrow’s fire seems to be out of the control of the airlines, this reimbursement may not be payable, according to a note issued by Citi on Friday.

Investors will consider short -term costs, such as food and drinks, accommodation, alternative flights or land transport for passengers affected by cancellations, marked Mendiraratta, as well as observing how airlines handle long -term customer service.

“That, ultimately, will be the basis of customer retention, which from the point of view of the investor will be very important … It is a significant calculation,” he said.

A third track at Heathrow Airport has been discussed for a long time, with its CEO by pressing the United Kingdom Government make a decision about the controversial expansion by the end of the year. British finance minister Rachel Reeves said the extra track was “bad necessary“In a January speech.

Meanwhile, the aviation industry is advancing with Sustainable aviation fuel offers to help meet the decarbonization objectives.

“As we change to the future and observe sustainable aviation, this is where the infrastructure can now look at green technologies, which are vital to allow aviation to continue growing, but it grows in a healthy way,” said Mendiratta.

– Jenni Reid of CNBC contributed to this report.