Analysis of Power Outage at Heathrow Airport: Implications for Critical Infrastructure
23. marca 2025
On March 20, 2025, a widespread power outage occurred at London's Heathrow Airport due to a fire in the North Hyde electrical substation. This incident, which led to the closure of Europe's busiest airport and affected more than 1,300 flights, represents a significant case of critical infrastructure failure with pan-European consequences.
Technical Aspects of the Incident
A fire in a transformer at the 275kV North Hyde substation caused a power supply interruption for Heathrow Airport and surrounding areas. According to available information, approximately 67,000 households and businesses were without electricity. Despite the airport having backup power sources, these systems were unable to ensure full operational capacity.
The North Hyde substation represents a critical point in West London's electrical grid, which experts say is significantly overloaded. The region is experiencing a sharp increase in new applications for connection to the electrical grid due to new housing projects, commercial investments, and data centers.
Systemic Deficiencies The incident revealed several serious deficiencies in critical infrastructure security. First, insufficient power redundancy was evident. Critical facilities like Heathrow Airport should be powered from multiple independent points of the electrical grid. Although some parts of the airport (such as Terminal 5) maintained power, overall operations were significantly disrupted.
Another problem is outdated infrastructure. The British electrical grid, similar to many developed countries, is generally outdated, with many components at the end of their expected lifespan and in urgent need of modernization.
The response to the outage also revealed gaps in coordination between the airport operator, airlines, and energy service providers. Restoring full operations took an unreasonably long time, suggesting deficiencies in disaster recovery plans.
Implications for Slovak Critical Infrastructure "This incident emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to critical infrastructure protection," says Ing. Tibor Straka, President of the Slovak Critical Infrastructure Association. "The new Act No. 367/2024 Coll. on Critical Infrastructure, which came into effect on January 1, 2025, introduces a systematic approach to identifying, protecting, and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure elements in Slovakia." The law defines 11 key sectors of critical infrastructure including energy, transportation, finance, and digital infrastructure. For each sector, it establishes responsible central state administration bodies and introduces a new system of risk assessment and obligations for critical entities.
Preventive Measures and Recommendations Based on the analysis of the Heathrow Airport incident, AKI recommends several measures for critical infrastructure operators in Slovakia. Key is strengthening power redundancy by ensuring multiple independent power sources for critical systems and regularly testing backup sources under full load.
Equally important is the systematic modernization of outdated components of the electrical grid with emphasis on critical nodes. Operators should implement advanced early warning monitoring and predictive maintenance systems to identify potential failures before they occur.
Given the growing interconnection of physical and digital systems, it is essential to ensure adequate protection against cyber threats. Organizations should regularly conduct crisis management exercises simulating various critical infrastructure outage scenarios.
Information sharing and best practices through enhanced cooperation between critical infrastructure operators, regulatory bodies, and security forces are also of fundamental importance.
Conclusion The incident at Heathrow Airport presents a significant lesson for critical infrastructure operators in Slovakia and throughout Europe. It emphasizes the need for a systematic approach to protecting critical systems, which includes not only technical measures but also organizational and procedural aspects.
AKI will continue to monitor the development of the investigation of this incident and implement the lessons learned into its recommendations and educational activities. It also calls on all critical infrastructure operators in Slovakia to reassess their business continuity plans and resilience to similar incidents.
Only through a comprehensive approach to critical infrastructure protection can we ensure the stability and security of key systems essential for the functioning of modern society.
The North Hyde substation represents a critical point in West London's electrical grid, which experts say is significantly overloaded. The region is experiencing a sharp increase in new applications for connection to the electrical grid due to new housing projects, commercial investments, and data centers.
Systemic Deficiencies The incident revealed several serious deficiencies in critical infrastructure security. First, insufficient power redundancy was evident. Critical facilities like Heathrow Airport should be powered from multiple independent points of the electrical grid. Although some parts of the airport (such as Terminal 5) maintained power, overall operations were significantly disrupted.
Another problem is outdated infrastructure. The British electrical grid, similar to many developed countries, is generally outdated, with many components at the end of their expected lifespan and in urgent need of modernization.
The response to the outage also revealed gaps in coordination between the airport operator, airlines, and energy service providers. Restoring full operations took an unreasonably long time, suggesting deficiencies in disaster recovery plans.
Implications for Slovak Critical Infrastructure "This incident emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to critical infrastructure protection," says Ing. Tibor Straka, President of the Slovak Critical Infrastructure Association. "The new Act No. 367/2024 Coll. on Critical Infrastructure, which came into effect on January 1, 2025, introduces a systematic approach to identifying, protecting, and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure elements in Slovakia." The law defines 11 key sectors of critical infrastructure including energy, transportation, finance, and digital infrastructure. For each sector, it establishes responsible central state administration bodies and introduces a new system of risk assessment and obligations for critical entities.
Preventive Measures and Recommendations Based on the analysis of the Heathrow Airport incident, AKI recommends several measures for critical infrastructure operators in Slovakia. Key is strengthening power redundancy by ensuring multiple independent power sources for critical systems and regularly testing backup sources under full load.
Equally important is the systematic modernization of outdated components of the electrical grid with emphasis on critical nodes. Operators should implement advanced early warning monitoring and predictive maintenance systems to identify potential failures before they occur.
Given the growing interconnection of physical and digital systems, it is essential to ensure adequate protection against cyber threats. Organizations should regularly conduct crisis management exercises simulating various critical infrastructure outage scenarios.
Information sharing and best practices through enhanced cooperation between critical infrastructure operators, regulatory bodies, and security forces are also of fundamental importance.
Conclusion The incident at Heathrow Airport presents a significant lesson for critical infrastructure operators in Slovakia and throughout Europe. It emphasizes the need for a systematic approach to protecting critical systems, which includes not only technical measures but also organizational and procedural aspects.
AKI will continue to monitor the development of the investigation of this incident and implement the lessons learned into its recommendations and educational activities. It also calls on all critical infrastructure operators in Slovakia to reassess their business continuity plans and resilience to similar incidents.
Only through a comprehensive approach to critical infrastructure protection can we ensure the stability and security of key systems essential for the functioning of modern society.
On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, an important meeting took place between the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic and another central state administration body in the critical infrastructure sector, namely the Administration of State Material Reserves of the Slovak Republic (SŠHR).
V stredu 10. septembra 2025 sa uskutočnilo dôležité rokovanie Asociácie kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky s ďalším ústredným orgánom štátnej správy na úseku kritickej infraštruktúry, ktorým je Správa štátnych hmotných rezerv Slovenskej republiky (SŠHR).
The Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (AKI SR) is negotiating with critical subjects and ministries about a suitable financing model for the resilience of critical subjects and the preservation of basic services. The Association is convinced that the entire burden of costs should not be borne only by critical subjects, but that the state should help finance the resilience of critical infrastructure, for example from European funds, and also support negotiations with banks on preparing advantageous loans towards developing threat analyses, security audits and subsequently projects to eliminate identified deficiencies. AKI SR will, in accordance with this proposal, initiate negotiations with the Slovak Banking Association and with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for the recovery plan and knowledge economy. AKI SR is gradually concluding cooperation memorandums with ministries in accordance with the sectors that are under their responsibility according to the critical infrastructure law.
Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry SR rokuje o financovaní nákladov na odolnosť kritických subjektov
Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky (AKI SR) rokuje s kritickými subjektami a ministerstvami o vhodnom modeli financovania odolnosti kritických subjektov a zachovania základných služieb. Asociácia je presvedčená, že celé bremeno nákladov by nemali niesť len kritické subjekty, ale aby štát pomohol financovať odolnosť kritickej infraštruktúry napríklad z európskych fondov a podporil aj rokovania s bankami o príprave výhodných úverov smerom k vypracovaniu analýz hrozieb, bezpečnostných auditov a následne projektov na odstránenie zistených nedostatkov. AKI SR bude v súlade s týmto návrhom iniciovať rokovania so Slovenskou bankovou asociáciou a s podpredsedom vlády SR pre plán obnovy a znalostnú ekonomiku. AKI SR postupne uzatvára memorandá o spolupráci s ministerstvami v súlade so sektormi, ktoré sú v zmysle zákona o kritickej infraštruktúre v ich zodpovednosti.
Representatives of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic participated on August 21, 2025, in a working meeting on the issue of the Critical Infrastructure Strategy in the agriculture and rural development sector of the Slovak Republic.
Zástupcovia Asociácie kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky sa 21. augusta 2025 zúčastnili na pracovnom stretnutí k problematike Stratégie kritickej infraštruktúry v rezorte pôdohospodárstva a rozvoja vidieka SR.
As part of developing cooperation across all critical infrastructure sectors, another significant meeting of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic took place on August 14, 2025, this time at the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic.
V rámci rozvoja spolupráce naprieč všetkými sektormi kritickej infraštruktúry sa 14. augusta 2025 uskutočnilo ďalšie významné rokovanie Asociácie kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky, tentokrát na Ministerstve investícií, regionálneho rozvoja a informatizácie Slovenskej republiky.
In the video, you will learn how the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic protects the state's strategic systems, supports innovation, and coordinates cooperation between the public and private sectors. From January 1, 2025, laws No. 367/2024 and 366/2024 bring new obligations in the area of critical infrastructure and cybersecurity. How to prepare for EU directives and face threats? See how the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic helps companies and institutions!
Vo videu sa dozviete, ako Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky chráni strategické systémy štátu, podporuje inovácie a koordinuje spoluprácu verejného a súkromného sektora. Od 1. januára 2025 prinášajú zákony č. 367/2024 a 366/2024 nové povinnosti v oblasti kritickej infraštruktúry a kyberbezpečnosti. Ako sa pripraviť na smernice EÚ a čeliť hrozbám? Pozrite si, ako Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky pomáha firmám a inštitúciám!