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Another problem is outdated infrastructure. The British electrical grid, similar to many developed countries, is generally outdated, with many components at the end of their expected lifespan and in urgent need of modernization.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.
Košice, October 28, 2025 — The Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (AKI SR) welcomes the signing of a memorandum of cooperation in the field of soft target protection between the Technical University in Košice (TUKE) and the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.
Košice, 28. októbra 2025 — Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky (AKI SR) víta podpis memoranda o spolupráci v oblasti ochrany mäkkých cieľov medzi Technickou univerzitou v Košiciach (TUKE) a Ministerstvom vnútra Slovenskej republiky.
On October 15, 2025, at the 28th International Scientific Conference on Crisis Management in Specific Environments, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (AKI SR) and the Faculty of Security Engineering of the University of Žilina. The document was signed by AKI SR President Tibor Straka and Faculty Dean Eva Sventeková.
Na 28. Medzinárodnej vedeckej konferencii Riešenie krízových situácií v špecifickom prostredí bolo 15. októbra 2025 podpísané memorandum o spolupráci medzi Asociáciou kritickej infraštruktúry SR (AKI SR) a Fakultou bezpečnostného inžinierstva Žilinskej univerzity v Žiline. Dokument podpísali prezident AKI SR Tibor Straka a dekanka fakulty Eva Sventeková.
The document "Recommendations for Cryptographic Algorithms – v1.0", issued by the National Security Authority (NBÚ) on October 8, 2025, represents a strategic milestone and announces Slovakia's transition into the post-quantum era – a period in which true security will be determined by resilience, not the legacy of classical mathematics.
Dokument „Odporúčania pre kryptografické algoritmy – v1.0“, ktorý Národný bezpečnostný úrad (NBÚ) vydal 8. októbra 2025 , predstavuje strategický míľnik a ohlasuje prechod Slovenska do postkvantovej éry – do obdobia, v ktorom bude skutočnú bezpečnosť určovať odolnosť, nie dedičstvo klasickej matematiky.
On October 8, 2025, an official meeting took place at the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the delegation of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic, led by the president of the association, Tibor Straka.
Na Ministerstve digitálneho rozvoja a dopravy Azerbajdžanskej republiky sa 8. októbra 2025 uskutočnilo oficiálne stretnutie s delegáciou Asociácie kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky, ktorú viedol prezident asociácie Tibor Straka.
On the 6th of October 2025, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic Patrik Krauspe and President of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic Tibor Straka signed the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic and the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic.
Štátny tajomník Ministerstva vnútra Slovenskej republiky Patrik Krauspe a prezident Asociácie kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky Tibor Straka dňa 6. 10. 2025 podpísali Memorandum o spolupráci medzi Ministerstvom vnútra Slovenskej republiky a Asociáciou kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky .