London’s Heathrow Airport was forced to close on Friday after a fire broke out at a nearby electrical substation, cutting off power to the busy transport hub.
Officials said the fire, which started in the early hours in the Hayes area of west London, led to a complete power outage at the airport. Flights were cancelled or diverted, causing significant disruption for travelers.
“Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the airport management said in a statement. “Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.” The shutdown is expected to last until just before midnight.
The London Fire Brigade described the incident as serious and said firefighters were working hard to control the flames. “This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions,” Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.
Many flights had to change their routes due to the sudden shutdown. A Qantas flight from Perth was redirected to Paris, while a United Airlines flight from New York landed in Shannon, Ireland, instead of Heathrow.
Flight-tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that several flights were affected, and delays were expected to continue even after the airport reopens.
Heathrow is Europe’s busiest airport, handling more than 80 million passengers every year. The sudden power cut has caused major travel disruptions, with authorities warning that it may take days for normal operations to resume.
