By Staff Reporter
The United Kingdom’s Heathrow airport has closed until midnight on Friday due to a power outage, throwing the plans of tens of thousands of travellers into chaos.
London’s main airport, which Europe’s busiest gateway, said on Friday that it had suffered a “significant” power failure due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the facility.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” Heathrow airport said in a post on X.
“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said the shutdown would affect “at least” 1,351 flights.
There were 120 aircraft in the air set to be diverted to alternate airports or return to their origin at the time of the announcement, according to FlightRadar24.
“We’re trying to stop passengers from travelling to the airport, and then work with airline partners on flights that are delayed, diverted, or cancelled,” a Heathrow spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
“They [passengers] can reach out to airline partners to work on rebooking.”
Heathrow is one of the most globally connected airports and regularly ranks among the top five busiest gateways worldwide.
The airport serves more than 200 destinations in nearly 90 different countries and territories, and last year handled nearly 84 million passengers, the largest number on record.
Footage shared on social media showed an inferno several stories high, lighting up the night sky and emitting massive plumes of black smoke.
The London Fire Brigade said that it had deployed 10 engines and about 70 firefighters to a fire at an electrical substation near the airport in Hayes, west London.
“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,” Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said in a statement.
“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. Firefighters have led 29 people to safety from neighbouring properties, and as a precaution, a 200-metre cordon has been established, with around 150 people evacuated.”
Goulbourne said the fire would be a “prolonged incident”, with crews to remain on scene throughout the night.
“As we head into the morning, disruption is expected to increase, and we urge people to avoid the area wherever possible,” he said.
