Operations at London Gatwick—the UK’s second-busiest airport for business and leisure travel—were thrown into disarray on Sunday afternoon (26 July) when a power failure at SES Water’s Bough Beech treatment works cut supplies to both terminals. Toilets were closed, restaurants and lounges had to suspend service, and some carriers warned passengers to arrive with filled water bottles. Airport management distributed bottled water and installed portable toilets but acknowledged in updates posted overnight that normal water pressure would not be fully restored until the early hours of Monday, 27 July. The outage hit at the height of the summer peak, affecting travellers on British Airways, easyJet, TUI, Vueling and multiple long-haul carriers. Although flight schedules were maintained, passengers reported long queues for the few facilities that remained open and a lack of seating after retail concessions shut their doors. Ground-handling contractors said staff were redeployed to manage crowd flow and prioritise assistance for families and passengers with reduced mobility. For corporate travel managers, the incident is a reminder that utility resilience can be as critical as security screening or air-traffic control in maintaining punctual journeys. Gatwick handled more than 2,500 movements per day in July 2025; any prolonged utility failure risks knock-on delays for connecting flights and tight itineraries. Contingency planning—such as pre-booking lounge access at alternative airports or holding virtual meetings if delays exceed four hours—should now be incorporated into UK travel risk assessments. The Civil Aviation Authority does not compel airports to hold specific water-supply redundancies, although airlines are liable to provide care and assistance under UK 261 during extended disruption. Gatwick said it would review back-up pumping capacity with SES Water and publish an action plan before the late-August bank-holiday rush. Businesses with frequent flyers through Gatwick may wish to monitor that timetable and consider shifting time-sensitive trips to Heathrow or City Airport until infrastructure fixes are verified.
Source: Associated Press
