London’s Heathrow Airport faced a power outage due to a fire nearby and as a result, the airport has announced a complete shutdown on early Friday, causing massive disruption to one of the world’s busiest travel hubs.
As per media reports, the airport will remain shut through the rest of the day. The fire at an electrical substation in western London quickly disrupted travel across the globe.
Heathrow said it would be closed until 11:59 p.m. local time. It was not immediately clear how many flights would be affected.
“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens,” a Heathrow representative said in a statement.
According to the New York Times, as the airport closed, 120 aircraft were headed there. Airlines have begun diverting those flights to airports, including London Gatwick and Charles de Gaulle in Paris, as well as to airports in Ireland and Canada. Heathrow handles around 1,300 flights a day.
As per CNN, the airport is warning of “significant disruption” over the coming days. Heathrow said “Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens” and should contact their airline for more information.
The large blaze near Heathrow will be a “prolonged incident” with disruption for residents in the area expected to increase, according to the London Fire Brigade. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
