Transport Secretary: Heathrow fire an 'unprecedented' crisis
Video Credit: ODN - Duration: 01:17s - Published
Transport Secretary: Heathrow fire an 'unprecedented' crisis
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the Heathrow substation fire an "unprecedented event of very significant magnitude" after it halted flights for 18 hours.
She praised firefighters and staff for their response, noting backup generators kept critical systems running but couldn’t power the entire airport.
The government and Heathrow have launched investigations into resilience planning and infrastructure lessons.
Report by Covellm.
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18-year-olds will be allowed to drive trains amid concerns over driver shortages. The minimum age to take on the role in Britain is to be lowered from 20, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander welcomed the change, saying it will bring a more "reliable and punctual service for people".
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The root cause of the fire that sparked a major power outage at Heathrow Airport remains unknown, the UK's national energy system operator has said. Sky News
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The boss of Heathrow Airport says he is “absolutely committed” to ensuring lessons are learnt from the events which led to the closure of Europe’s busiest airport last month. Appearing before MPs on the Transport Select Committee, Thomas Woldbye also offered a ‘sincere apology’ for the travel disruption caused to thousands of passengers during the one-day shutdown.
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Simon Gallagher, founder of UK Network Services, said Heathrow could have had enough power from one live substation during the outage, but it would have taken hours to reconfigure the airport's network. He acknowledged National Grid’s point that there was sufficient capacity but stressed Heathrow's challenge in adjusting to use that power in time. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Akhil Vyas, a passenger caught up in Friday’s Heathrow Airport closure, recalled the moment he learned his flight to Dubai for a family holiday was cancelled. He said that he hopes that Heathrow will learn from the incident and create a contingency plan to prevent future disruptions. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Sir Keir Starmer praised UK and Albanian troops training Ukrainian forces under Operation Interflex during a visit to Tirana’s Berzite Military Museum. Calling the mission “hugely important,” he said it symbolised the growing defence partnership and shared values between the two nations. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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Speaking in Albania, Sir Keir Starmer praised joint efforts to cut small boat crossings, calling secure borders "central" to his plan for change. He said cooperation with Albania had led to a "significant" drop in crossings and stressed the success of their joint migration task force and prisoner return deal. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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