All flights to and from London Heathrow have been canceled until midnight due to a fire at an electrical substation.
The unprecedented closure has sent ripples through the world and sent dozens of air carriers scrambling to reconfigure networks to move planes and crews around. One industry expert has called the incident “catastrophic for air traffic.”
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is facing a significant power outage,” announced the airport on X. “To ensure the safety of our passengers and employees, Heathrow will be closed until 11:59 p.m. on March 21.”
The blaze, which occurred in Hayes, west London, broke out on Thursday evening and left 16,000 homes without power.
A spokesman for the airport—the second-busiest in the world—warned of major disruptions; according to Flightradar24, at least 1,351 flights stand to be canceled as a result.
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is facing a significant power outage,” announced the airport on X. “To ensure the safety of our passengers and employees, Heathrow will be closed until 11:59 p.m. on March 21.”
The blaze, which occurred in Hayes, west London, broke out on Thursday evening and left 16,000 homes without power.
A spokesman for the airport—the second-busiest in the world—warned of major disruptions; according to Flightradar24, at least 1,351 flights stand to be canceled as a result.
Writing on X, Krzysztof Moczulski, the spokesman for LOT Polish Airlines, said: “Due to a power failure at London Heathrow Airport caused by a fire, a NOTAM (a notification concerning changes to flight procedures) was issued to close the airport until the end of the day. As a result, the following flights are cancelled: LO286 LHR–WAW, LO281/LO282 WAW–LHR–WAW.”
He added: “At the moment, the afternoon rotation LO279/LO280 is at risk of cancellation—we are waiting for information from the UK services.”
While the cause of the fire is not yet known, U.K. energy secretary Ed Miliband said that there was no suggestion of foul play but admitted that there was “no real understanding of what caused... the fire.”
He added: “At the moment, the afternoon rotation LO279/LO280 is at risk of cancellation—we are waiting for information from the UK services.”
While the cause of the fire is not yet known, U.K. energy secretary Ed Miliband said that there was no suggestion of foul play but admitted that there was “no real understanding of what caused... the fire.”
