Passengers Stranded as Heathrow Airport Shuts Down Due to Fire
London’s Heathrow Airport was closed throughout Friday following a fire at a nearby electrical substation, which caused a power outage, severely disrupting flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers at the UK’s busiest airport.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar 24 reported that at least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow were affected, with the disruption expected to continue for several days as passengers attempt to reschedule their flights.
At the time of the closure, approximately 120 flights were already in the air. Some were turned around, while others were diverted to alternate airports, including Gatwick Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, and Shannon Airport in Ireland.
Passenger Lawrence Hayes, who was on a Virgin Atlantic flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, shared his experience with the BBC. “It was a red-eye flight, and I’d already had a full day, so I don’t even know how long I’ve been up for,” Hayes said after being diverted to Glasgow. “Luckily, I managed to get hold of my wife and she’s kindly booked me a train ticket to get back to Euston, but it’s going to be an incredibly long day.”
The London Fire Brigade confirmed that the fire, which erupted in a ball of flames at a power station about two miles from Heathrow, was brought under control after seven hours. “We don’t know the cause of this fire. It’s obviously an unprecedented event,” said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
Miliband added that the fire had also knocked out the airport’s backup power supply, compounding the situation.
In an official statement, Heathrow confirmed that the fire forced the airport to remain closed for the day, warning passengers not to travel to the airport until it reopens. “We expect significant disruption over the coming days,” the statement read.
Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports for international travel, having recorded its busiest January earlier this year, with over 6.3 million passengers, a 5% increase from the same period last year.
