The Counter Terrorism Command will lead enquiries into the fire which started around 11.30pm yesterday (March 20) at a substation in Hayes due to its “impact on critical infrastructure”.
An estimated 1,350 flights will be disrupted and the cost will “run into the millions” after power to Heathrow was cut.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “We are working with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation.
“While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time.
“Given the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries.
“This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist in progressing this investigation at pace to minimise disruption and identify the cause.”
Heathrow is the UK’s largest airport with 83.9 million passengers passing through in 2024.
Online flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said Heathrow’s closure due to a substation fire on Friday would affect at least 1,351 flights to and from the airport.
It said 120 flights to the airport were in the air when the closure was announced.
Consultant John Strickland said Heathrow’s closure will cost the aviation industry millions of pounds.
He told reporters: “It will run into millions. You can’t quantify it yet.
“Heathrow has normally about 200,000 passengers a day, so it’s a massive impact in lost revenues and disruption costs, primarily for the airlines (because of) all the follow-on costs involved in putting people in hotels, refunds, re-bookings etc.”
Mr Strickland said it is “unlikely” that airlines will be able to recoup their losses.
Despite this, the chairwoman of the Commons transport committee has said it is “speculative” to suggest that something sinister caused the fire.
Asked by Times Radio if she thought the fire at an electricity substation may have been caused intentionally, Labour MP Ruth Cadbury replied: “I think that’s somewhat speculative.
“There are obviously questions about it, and I don’t know enough about electricity, but for the airport to be dependent on one substation, it does raise questions.”
The London Fire Brigade has said the fire involved a transformer comprising of 25,000 litres of cooling oil “fully alight”.
This created a major hazard due to the still live high voltage equipment and the nature of an oil fuelled fire.
The fire has been brought under control but firefighters remain on the scene where around 10 per cent of the fire remains alight.
