At least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow were affected already, including several from US cities that were canceled, flight tracking service FlightRadar 24 said
Britain’s Heathrow Airport was closed for the day Friday after a fire knocked out its power, disrupting flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers at Europe’s busiest travel hub.
At least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow were affected already, including several from US cities that were canceled, flight tracking service FlightRadar 24 said. Several jets were diverted to Gatwick Airport outside London, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and Ireland’s Shannon Airport, tracking services showed.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow” for the full day, the airport said. “We expect significant disruption over the coming days, and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”
Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports for international travel. It had its busiest January on record earlier this year, with more than 6.3 million passengers, up more than 5% for the same period last year. January also was the 11th month in a row it averaged over 200,000 passengers a day, with the airport citing transatlantic travel as a key contributor.
The disruption was reminiscent of 2023 delays that hit U.K. airports when Britain’s air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings across the country on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Heathrow said in its statement it will provide an update on its operations when it has more information on when power will be restored. Seven United Airlines flights returned to their origin or diverted to other airports and its flights Friday to Heathrow were canceled, the airline said.
The FlightAware website showed more cancelations including two from John F. Kennedy International in New York, a Delta Airlines flight and an American Airlines flight.
National Rail canceled all trains to and from the airport. The London Fire Brigade had 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters worked to control the blaze hours after flames soared into the sky when a transformer at an electrical substation caught fire in west London late Thursday night. The fire continued to smolder after daybreak. Thousands of homes also lost power and about 150 people were evacuated.
Footage posted to social media showed huge flames and large plumes of smoke coming from the facility. “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 minimize disruption,” Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said in a post on X the power outage affected more than 16,300 homes. Emergency services were called to the scene at 11.23 p.m. Thursday. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Goulbourne urged people to take safety precautions and avoid the area as crews worked to extinguish the blaze. Heathrow normally opens for flights at 6 a.m. due to nighttime flying restrictions. It said the closure would last until 11:59 p.m. Friday.
The government earlier this year approved building a third runway at the airport to boost the economy and connectivity to the world.
Heathrow handles more than than 80 million passengers a year and the operator says there are around 1,300 takeoffs or landings a day.
Seven United Airlines flights returned to their airport of origin or to other airports and all Friday flights to London Heathrow are being canceled, a spokesperson said.
In Sydney, Qantas said two flights en route to Heathrow — a non-stop flight from Perth and another via Singapore — had both diverted to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport.
It said two other flights scheduled to fly out of London on Friday were likely to be impacted.
In January, the government gave permission for Heathrow to build a third runway — which could be ready by 2035 — after years of legal wrangling brought on by complaints from local residents.
Five major airports serve the capital and towns nearby.
But capacity is stretched, especially at Heathrow whose two runways each measure almost four kilometers in length, while the airport covers a total area 12.3 square kilometers.
It opened in 1946 as London Airport before being renamed Heath Row, a hamlet demolished two years earlier to make way for the construction.
Situated 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of central London, the present Heathrow serves 200 destinations in more than 80 countries, with passengers having access to four terminals.
Among its main flight destinations last year were Dublin, Los Angeles, Madrid and New York.
