Heathrow Airport in London, a major global hub, experienced a complete shutdown on Friday, grounding over 1,000 flights worldwide. The disruption occurred after a large fire broke out at an electrical substation near the airport, severing its power supply.
Travelers have been urged to stay away from the airport for the entire day, as planes began rerouting from the busy airport early on Friday morning.
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” Heathrow said in a statement posted to X.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March.”
More than 1,300 flights have been impacted by the closure, which is expected to disrupt the travel plans of over 100,000 individuals, according to CNN.
Firefighters have been working tirelessly to control the fire at the substation in Hayes, London, the London Fire Brigade confirmed in a statement.
More than 150 people have been evacuated from the affected area, as power outages have also affected nearby businesses and homes.
“This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on the 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,” the fire agency said in the statement.
The exact cause of the fire has yet to be determined by officials.
Flights from various parts of the world, including Perth, Paris, and New York, have been redirected to other airports, with some even making unscheduled stops in Shannon, Ireland.
Several flights from the US heading to Heathrow were forced to turn around mid-flight.
A United Airlines flight from San Francisco, for example, was redirected to Washington, DC, instead of completing its journey to London.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have also been rerouting their flights to Gatwick, a nearby airport, as reported by Reuters.
Heathrow is known for being one of the busiest airports globally, serving over 200 destinations and handling 83.9 million passengers in 2024, according to CNN.
“Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world,” Ian Petchenik, spokesman for FlightRadar24, told Reuters.
“This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world.”
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