Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, was forced to shut down early on Friday following a major fire at an electrical substation supplying power to the airport. The incident, which occurred at a substation in Hayes, west of London, led to a significant power outage that affected the airport’s operations, causing widespread disruption.
Airport authorities confirmed that the airport would remain closed until just before midnight Friday (2359 GMT), warning passengers of significant delays and cancellations in the coming days. Several flights were already being diverted, as tracked by FlightRadar24, with some planes rerouted to other airports. For example, a Qantas flight from Perth was diverted to Paris Charles de Gaulle, and a United Airlines flight from New York was redirected to Ireland’s Shannon Airport.
“Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the airport operator said in a statement. “Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”
The London Fire Brigade confirmed that the fire at the Hayes substation had caused a widespread power outage, impacting homes and businesses in the area. Firefighters were working in challenging conditions to control the blaze. Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne of the fire brigade assured that efforts were underway to minimize further disruption.
With over 80 million passengers passing through Heathrow annually, the closure of the airport is a major incident that is expected to cause ripple effects across international and domestic flights.
