A water outage struck London Gatwick Airport on Sunday, July 26, 2026, resulting in the suspension of toilet facilities and temporary closure of restaurants across the terminal. The outage was triggered by a power failure at Bough Beech Water Treatment Works, which supplies water to Gatwick and surrounding regions.
Water services were fully restored by Monday morning, July 27, 2026. Gatwick Airport confirmed that all toilets and food and beverage outlets had resumed normal operation. SES Water, the supplier responsible for the affected areas, issued an apology for the disruption and thanked customers for their patience. Regions near Gatwick also
experienced water supply interruptions due to the same power outage at Bough Beech Water Treatment Works.
Traveler Guidance on Refunds and Compensation
Vix Leyton, a consumer expert at thinkmoney, advised passengers affected by the outage to retain receipts for any additional reasonable expenses incurred. She recommended taking screenshots or photographs to document the disruption and filing complaints directly with Gatwick Airport. “Anyone affected should keep receipts for reasonable extra costs, take screenshots or photographs of the disruption and complain directly to the airport,” Leyton said.
Passengers who prepaid for services such as meals, lounge access, showers, or treatments that could not be delivered due to the
outage should request refunds. Leyton stated, “If you paid for a service and the company did not deliver, the first step is simply to ask for a refund. The business should not be able to keep the full payment for something it simply did not provide, and this should be one of the most straightforward costs to get back.” If a refund is denied, customers using credit cards can pursue a chargeback with their bank. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may assist credit card purchases exceeding £100, but many airport-related bookings fall below that threshold.
Limits on Flight Compensation and Travel Insurance
Passengers who
missed flights because of the water outage may face difficulty obtaining compensation under standard airline policies. Leyton explained, “If the plane left on time but you did not get to the gate, the normal flight compensation rules are unlikely to help. Those rules are mainly there for flights the airline cancels, delays, or overbooks, and do not generally cover every disaster that happens elsewhere in the airport.” Travelers are encouraged to review their travel insurance policies carefully, as coverage for disruptions caused by airport water outages is not guaranteed. Insurance benefits depend on the specific terms and incidents covered by
the policy.
Documentation and Reporting Recommendations
Given the complexity of seeking refunds or compensation, passengers are urged to maintain comprehensive records. Leyton emphasized the importance of creating a paper trail by speaking with airport staff, noting names or reference numbers, and keeping receipts. She said, “The frustrating reality is that you can be caught in a major airport failure, miss your flight and still find that every company involved points at somebody else.” This documentation can be crucial when attempting to prove losses and liability.
