Thomas Woldbye, the airport's chief executive, reported that while a backup transformer had functioned correctly, it was insufficient to restore full power to the airport. Fortunately, airlines began to resume operations by the evening, with a British Airways A380 becoming the first flight to arrive after the disruption, indicating a return to normalcy.

British authorities have escalated the investigation to include counterterrorism police; however, initial assessments by the Metropolitan Police indicate that the fire is not being treated as suspicious. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, although the implications for the airport’s infrastructure are already under scrutiny.

As the dust settles on this chaotic day, questions arise about the resilience of Heathrow's infrastructure, particularly its dependency on a single electrical substation for such a vital transportation hub. It remains uncertain what the total cost of the outages will be, but the fallout from this incident is likely to resonate in operational discussions in the future.

Heathrow officials remain optimistic, announcing an expected full recovery in operations by the following day, reassuring travelers grappling with the consequences of the fire.