The expert assesses the effects of the airport's closure: « The situation will not be corrected in an instant »

Size The day -long shut -off at such a busy airport is exceptional, says Traficom Aviation Unit Manager Jaakko Koskinen.

London Heathrow Airport is closed throughout Friday. The bull is based on a power station fire, which results in the electricity of the field.

Heathrow is Europe's busiest airport and one of the most important nodes for cargo and passenger traffic. The block is estimated to affect a total of more than 1,300 flights and 291,000 passengers.

From time to time, the capacity of the station may decrease, and for example, individual runways may have to be closed.

« It's quite common to have to plan things again. But that so widely and suddenly, it has done quite a bit of work, » Koskinen says.

Koskisen According to a sudden day -lasting closure, the airport may not have been prepared for. Even less has been prepared for it at local stations where flights have had to be directed.

The large and sudden growth of air volume may have caused difficulties.

The effects on flights are repeated outside Heathrow as the airlines try to lower the schedules so that the equipment stands as little as possible.

Thus, the machines that have been stuck on Heathrow field are probably expected on another flight and route, so they can also be delayed. The same goes for the crew. The crew needed for the next flight may have been stuck on Heathrow or to be on a completely different destination than it was intended.

« The block has a widespread effect on the entire air traffic system. It takes several days to dismantle the sum. The situation is not corrected in an instant, » Koskinen estimates.

At the airport There have been people waiting for continuing flights. They had to be provided with transportation and probably also accommodation. It causes a lot of annoyance to passengers, but also problems and costs for airlines.

The power outage affects everything at the airport: runway and roller road lights, radio communication between air traffic control and machines, and, among other things, the landing equipment needed for landing.

“The action becomes pretty impossible if there is no electricity,” Koskinen says.

Hs asked Finavia how a fire like Heathrow could affect Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.

Helsinki-Vantaa Director of Station and runway operations Jani Elasmaa Comment briefly by email.

“There are back-up arrangements for critical activities in Helsinki-Vantaa airport operations. Finavia actively cooperates and preparedness with various actors, including in terms of electricity distribution and backup systems,” he writes.

According to Elasmaa, the electricity supply of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is in the domain network. As part of normal activities at Helsinki-Vantaa, fire inspections under the Rescue Act and the field's own preparedness are carried out.

Elasmaa does not open it up for more safety reasons.