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Episode details

World Service,25 Mar 2025,20 mins

How did one fire paralyse Europe's busiest airport?

The Global Story

Available for over a year

London Heathrow saw all its flights cancelled on Friday after a fire at a local power supply station. The news led to rampant speculation online – rumours of foreign interference, accusations against executives, and angry questions about who was to blame. So why wasn’t there a contingency plan to keep such an essential transport hub running? Caitríona Perry is joined by Theo Leggett, the BBC’s international business correspondent, to discuss Heathrow’s temporary closure and what it says about the vulnerabilities of our major infrastructure. Producers: Laurie Kalus and Alice Aylett Roberts Sound engineer: Stephen Bailey Assistant editors: Richard Fenton-Smith and Sergi Forcada Freixas Senior news editor: China Collins

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