Heathrow Airport Shut Down: At Least 24 Hours of Disruption

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• EXPLORE FURTHER: What are your entitlements when faced with a canceled or delayed flight? All you should know if affected by Heathrow travel disruptions.

Heathrow The airport was closed for the entire day today following a severe electrical blaze. causing global travel turmoil and multiple days of disturbance for hundreds of thousands of individuals, already drawing comparisons

The UK's busiest airport was forced to close on Friday after its main electrical substation exploded and set alight less than two miles away in the west London suburb of Hayes.

Approximately 220,000 individuals were expected to pass through Heathrow today, but the disruption caused by the total shutdown will persist throughout the weekend and into next week. This is due to airplanes and travelers being misplaced across the globe as a result of the closure.

So far, at least 1,357 flights have been canceled, rerouted, or delayed today. Several aircraft en route to London successfully landed at different UK airports; however, numerous others did not. Gatwick are now full.

Many flights have been rerouted to airports such as those in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lyon, and various other locations across Europe, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded overseas. In some instances, aircraft had to make an unexpected return and land in New York. Los Angeles , Mumbai and Delhi, where Air India It has now canceled all its flights to London.

British Airways , American Airlines , Virgin Atlantic , United Airlines, Air Canada And Delta has experienced the highest number of cancellations and diversions.

This represents the most significant disturbance for UK aviation since the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud caused flight cancellations and diversions in April and May 2010, resulting in an approximate daily loss of £130 million for airlines and their passengers.

Shutting down an airport because of the failure of a single electrical substation is unheard-of and poses significant concerns for both Heathrow and the government. This situation has also caused numerous travelers to be stuck and furious.

Senior sources at the airport have insisted that Heathrow does have back-up power systems but ' Activating contingencies across the entire airport isn't instantaneous and takes considerable time,' according to an insider. Executives are anticipated to face questioning from Parliament to provide explanations.

Julian Bray, one of the UK's foremost authorities on aviation, stated: "It’s surprising that Heathrow lacks a functional backup system separate from the national grid for critical power needs despite relying entirely on the National Grid. This seems odd considering they have ample funds—sufficient to support construction of a third runway."

Aviation consultant John Strickland commented, "This is a more limited version of 9/11 Or, to some degree, the Icelandic volcanic eruption. On those occasions—I remember this happening especially prominently during 9/11—it occurred very rapidly, followed by the closure of U.S. airspace. Aircraft were redirected, and flights were held.

Over 16,300 residences in western London were experiencing power outages on Friday as well. Additionally, all train services heading to Heathrow have been canceled.

As Heathrow shuts down causing global travel turmoil:

• Nearly 1,400 flights have been canceled, leading to global travel disruptions as numerous aircraft had to be rerouted to different UK airports or even farther destinations.
• Stunning and frightening images of the substation fire have surfaced, showing smoke billowing across London.

The airport, where a plane lands or takes off every 45 seconds, declared its shutdown at 2 am on Friday and instructed passengers not to arrive at its terminals.

The blaze erupted shortly after 11:30 pm on Thursday, and even though firefighters worked through the night to get it under control, part of the transformer continues to burn. Authorities have declared a significant event as they investigate the origin of the fire, which has been extinguished but still requires damping down by specialized firefighters using breathing equipment early Friday morning.

A representative from Heathrow Airport stated: "Owing to a blaze at an electric substation providing power to the airport, Heathrow is facing a major electricity failure."

'For the security of our travelers and staff, Heathrow will remain closed until 23:59 on March 21st. We advise passengers not to come to the airport.'

A British couple stranded in China are uncertain about how they will return home following the cancellation of their flight.

Sharon Towers and her husband told MailOnline they are stranded in the airport as strict immigration policy means they can't check into a hotel.

She stated: "My spouse and I are trapped in China."

'We should have taken off at 1pm local time here Instead we are stuck at the airport with no idea how and when we will get home!

We're unable to check into a hotel due to the stringent immigration visa policy; for us to re-enter the airport, we require a boarding pass so that customs can verify our departure date from the country.

We aren't certain about that information, which is why we can't obtain a boarding pass to re-enter the airport.

People impacted by the shutdown have expressed their distress on social media platforms.

Someone mentioned: "A significant fire has occurred at Heathrow Airport, causing my flight to be rerouted to Washington and then redirected again."

'I have no idea what comes next. All I want is to head back home and be with my loved ones.'

Another update came through: "My flight out of Heathrow for today has been canceled, so what should I do now? My mother isn’t feeling well, and I need to visit her as soon as possible."

Airlines have started rerouting flights destined for Heathrow, with Flightradar24 reporting that this will impact at least 1,351 arrivals and departures at the airport.

The flight tracking website stated in an announcement, "This does not account for any possible cancellations or delays resulting from planes being out of their scheduled locations."

This indicates that up to 145,000 passengers might be impacted by the shutdown, says aviation-data company Cirium.

Ian Petchenik, a spokesperson for FlightRadar24, stated that the unexpected shutdown of Heathrow Airport would cause disruptions to flights globally.

Heathrow is among the key gateways globally," he stated to The Telegraph. "This will cause significant disruptions to airline operations worldwide.

Heathrow ranks among the globe’s most bustling hubs for global air traffic. This past January marked its highest January figure ever, recording over 6.3 million travelers, which represents an increase of over 5 percent compared to the corresponding month from the previous year.

In January, which marked the eleventh consecutive month, daily passenger numbers surpassed 200,000 on average. The airport attributed this growth largely to increased transatlantic travel.

Flight Radar anticipated around 220,000 travelers for today.

A surge of aircraft that are too deep into their flights to return to departure points are being rerouted to European airports.

In the meantime, National Rail announced in a statement that all train services to and from Heathrow will be suspended on Friday.

The service on the Elizabeth line has been halted between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4, as well as between Shenfield/Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 5. Additionally, all Heathrow Express trains from London Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 5 have been canceled.

The video footage of the fire depicts massive plumes of smoke rising towards the sky as firefighters work diligently to extinguish the flames. Meanwhile, clips taken within Heathrow Airport reveal the facility mostly shrouded in darkness due to the electrical blackout.

The fire has left thousands of people in the western area devastated. London properties without power.

Over 70 firefighters along with ten fire engines have swiftly responded to the incident at Nestles Avenue in Hayes to combat the fire.

About 150 individuals have been relocated from the region, and a preventative 200-meter perimeter has been established.

The firefighters have recommended that nearby inhabitants keep their windows and doors shut to prevent the substantial quantity of smoke from infiltrating their residences.

One witness told LBC: 'I was walking across a bridge when suddenly there was a massive blast.'

Another posted a video of the blaze on X writing: 'Scary scenes in Hayes. Power cut and massive fire.'

A community member stated that 'the whole region, extending as far as Hounslow, has lost electricity.'

The Powertrack website indicates that approximately 16,000 homes have been impacted. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks verified a major power failure in the nearby regions.

The London Fire Brigade stated in an announcement late Thursday night: "Approximately 20 individuals were moved out from nearby buildings, and a precautionary 200-meter perimeter was established. Around 150 people have been relocated."

The considerable smoke being generated by the fire prompts locals to keep their windows and doors shut.

The control officers of the brigade handled nearly 200 calls regarding the fire. The initial call came in at 10:23 pm, after which units from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall, and nearby fire stations were dispatched to the location.

At approximately 3 am, the fire department issued another warning stating: "Firefighters are still present at the location in #Hayes—keep your windows and doors shut because of the smoke and stay away from the area. This situation will last for an extended period, with personnel staying on site through the night."

Pat Goulbourne, Assistant Commissioner at the London Fire Brigade, stated: "This is a very noticeable and important event, with our firefighters exerting themselves immensely under difficult circumstances to gain control over the blaze as quickly as they can."

The blaze has led to a power cut impacting numerous residences and nearby enterprises, and we are collaborating closely with our collaborators to reduce disruptions as much as possible.

'The firefighters have guided 29 individuals to safety from adjacent buildings, and as a preventive measure, a 200-meter perimeter has been set up, resulting in approximately 150 people being relocated.'

Owing to the substantial quantity of smoke, we highly recommend that nearby inhabitants keep their windows and doors shut. The Control Officers have addressed approximately 200 inquiries, providing crucial advice and comfort to the community.

This will likely extend over an extended period, with teams staying onsite through the evening. Moving into tomorrow, disruptions are anticipated to worsen, and we advise individuals to steer clear of the region whenever feasible.

The origin of the fire is still unclear.

So far, no injuries have been reported.

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