Press Release: SFS calls for strategy rethink after Heathrow closures

Stranded Flight Solutions (SFS) is calling for a strategic overhaul in how the global aviation industry prepares for and responds to major flight disruptions. This comes in the aftermath of the full-day closure of London Heathrow Airport on March 21, 2025. The fire at a nearby electrical substation closed Europe’s busiest airport, impacting over 1,300 flights and approximately 200,000 passengers.  

While this incident drew eyes from all over Europe — and the world — it is far from a rare occurrence. According to a EUROCONTROL study in 2023, over 210 million European airline passengers were affected by delays or cancellations. In addition, FlightAware data published in 2024 shows there were more than 3 million annual cancelled or delayed flights across the globe with causes attributed to everything from weather to staffing shortages to technical failures to geopolitical instability.  

The financial toll is staggering. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates the global cost of irregular operations (IROPs) to be more than $60 billion annually. Delays alone cost airlines an average of $74 per minute per flight – and this number rapidly increases during peak travel seasons and at busier airports.  

SFS is a tech company co-founded by Yvo van der Tol that services major airlines across the globe with software and solutions to mitigate cost and meet consumer needs in the case of flight disruptions – specifically cancelled, delayed, and rerouted flights.  

Van der Tol believes that the Heathrow closure is not an isolated incident but rather a wake-up call for the industry as a whole and calls for a strategic overhaul to improve the way the airlines manage these types of wide-scale shutdowns: “Every day thousands of passengers are displaced far from home when their flights are disrupted. It is important that we, as an industry, take care of our customers’ needs. We must comply with our legal requirements while also fulfilling the moral obligations our industry has in the care and comfort of our valued passengers.” 

Breaking down the costs of flight disruptions further, internal SFS data shows that passengers experience an average of nearly $400 of unexpected expenses during disrupted flights, which may be attributed to last-minute hotels, alternative travel, and meal cost.

Additionally, passengers report feeling emotional distress from what they feel is a lack of transparency and support during these disruptions. Meanwhile, travel agents and airline staff are overwhelmed with rebooking entire flights to ensure passengers are taken to their destinations in an efficient manner while simultaneously dealing with high call volumes and limited automation tools.  

Airlines struggle with resource reallocation and supplier coordination during these incidents, creating direct revenue loss and compliance penalties, such as the EC261 obligations in Europe. 

Stranded Flight Solutions was founded in 2014 with the explicit goal of providing standardized, secure, and scalable SaaS architecture to airlines and service partners across the globe. With its flagship platform, SFS360, the company has helped many multinational corporations in the aviation, travel, and hospitality industries reduce costs and maximize value to their passengers and guests. SFS360 provides airlines with a way to take care of their stranded passengers – such as booking available hotel rooms, coordinating taxi pickups, and supplying vouchers for meals and refreshments.  

Featured image credited to Jason Rabinowitz

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