Emotions run high as power outage shuts London's Heathrow

A police helicopter was the only vehicle visible in the sky above Heathrow airport on Friday, as the regular drone of flights went silent after a fire at a power station shuttered Europe's busiest airport.On the ground, dozens of confused, stranded passengers stood around with their suitcases outside airport hotels. Many who AFP spoke to complained about the cost of shifting their bookings and a lack of information from Heathrow or airlines.For veteran athlete Kevin Dillon, 70, Heathrow's day-long closure meant he would miss the opening ceremony of the World Masters Athletics Championships in Florida.The runner, sporting a Great Britain tracksuit, said he had come from Manchester to catch his flight so he could compete.The authorities are facing questions over how the fire at the electricity substation left such a crucial piece of national infrastructure closed for the day."I'm just surprised they didn't have a backup system," Dillon said.Jake Johnston, from Los Angeles, was set to travel back to the United States on Friday but his airline, Virgin Atlantic, has rebooked his flight for Monday.The 24-year-old said he and his friends were lucky: they found hotels for around £150 a night ($194).Since then, several passengers have complained of airport hotels jacking up prices. According to Johnston, when he checked again later, hotel prices had risen to around £600.- 'Need to be there' -Bolaji N'gowe was not so optimistic. He was...
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Airlines to operate record 25,610 flights a week in summer

New Delhi, (IANS): India's commercial airlines will operate 25,610 flights per week during the forthcoming summer season, a 5.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.The summer season for airlines this year runs from March 30 to October 25. The number of flights in the summer schedule is 2.5 per cent higher than the preceding winter season.The country's biggest airline, IndiGo, will be operating 467 additional flights a week compared to the same period last year, which represents a 3 per cent increase.The DGCA statement showed that IndiGo will operate the highest number of weekly domestic flights, with 14,158 departures scheduled, followed by Air India (4,310) and Air India Express (3,375).Meanwhile, SpiceJet's slots have decreased by 25 per cent from 1,657 departures last year to 1,240 departures this year.DGCA also highlighted that regional airlines like Alliance Air and Flybig have seen a significant decrease of 41.96 per cent and 30.98 per cent, respectively, in the number of flights.The new summer schedule showed that out of 129 airports, Ambikapur, Datia, Bidar, Porbandar, Pakyaong, Rewa, and Solapur are new airports proposed by the scheduled airlines, while operations from Azamgarh and Rupsi airports were suspended in the Summer Schedule 2025.The Navi Mumbai airport and the Noida Airport at Jewar near Delhi have not been included in the schedule....
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