Heathrow Airport in London will remain closed throughout Friday due to a fire at an electrical substation, resulting in a major power outage. This event has left thousands of homes without electricity and is causing widespread disruption to global travel. The closure occurred just hours before the airport, one of the world's busiest two-runway airports, was set to open. Consequently, at least 120 flights already in the air had to be redirected, as reported by Flightradar24. Over 1,300 arrivals and departures are anticipated to be impacted throughout the day.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have rerouted certain flights to the nearby Gatwick Airport, where operations were reported to be proceeding normally. On Friday morning, Qantas redirected its flight from Perth to London to Paris, while a United Airlines flight originating from New York was diverted to Shannon, Ireland. Furthermore, some flights from the United States reversed course mid-air and returned to their points of origin.
Neil Hansford, head of the Sydney-based Strategic Aviation Solutions consultancy, said "The closure of Heathrow for a day is unheard of for the industry, in terms of ramifications for global aviation, since the September 11 terrorist attacks which closed US airspace. Airlines around the world will be grappling with a 'logistical nightmare' to transport customers to diversion airports, jet fuel sources and staff displaced by the closure.
Although Gatwick and Stansted, London's other airports, could handle diverted flights, Heathrow's size meant that no other airports could accommodate all of its operations. "These airports can't handle anything near the volume of Heathrow's five terminals, which see an arrival every minute," he stated.
"Heathrow is a key global hub," stated Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24. "This will impact airline operations worldwide." In a statement on its website and shared on social media, Heathrow Airport urged all passengers not to travel to the airport. "To ensure the safety of our passengers and staff, Heathrow will remain closed until 23:59 on 21 March," the statement read.
An airport spokesperson said: “We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure you that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.”
A late-night fire on Thursday at an electrical substation in west London left over 16,000 homes without power and forced more than 100 people to evacuate. Firefighters escorted 29 individuals from nearby properties to safety. According to the London Fire Brigade, a transformer within the substation was on fire. A total of 10 fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters responded to the incident at Nestles Avenue in Hayes.
“This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible. “The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption,” said Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne. The brigade reported that nearly 200 calls were received regarding the incident, with crews from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall, and surrounding areas present at the scene.
