Huge fire closes UK's Heathrow Airport, global flight schedules disrupted
Britain's Heathrow Airport said it would be closed all of Friday after a huge fire at a nearby electrical substation wiped out power, disrupting flight schedules around the world.
The London Fire Brigade said around 70 firefighters were tackling the blaze in the west of London, which caused a mass power outage at Heathrow, Europe's busiest and the world's fifth busiest, airport.
Orange flames could be seen shooting into the sky. The fire brigade said the cause of the fire was not known.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, scores of flights were already being diverted to other airports, with Qantas Airways sending its flight from Perth to Paris and a United Airlines New York flight heading to Shannon, Ireland.
Some flights from the U.S. were turning around mid-air and returning to their point of departure.
A United Airlines flight from San Francisco was due to land in Washington, D.C. rather than London. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic diverted flights to nearby Gatwick.
"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March," Heathrow Airport said in a post on X, adding that passengers were advised not to travel to the airport.
On the ground, a number of homes and businesses were without power. "Firefighters have led 29 people to safety from neighbouring properties, and as a precaution, a 200-metre cordon has been established, with around 150 people evacuated," the fire brigade said.
Fire crews were responding to the accident but there was no clarity on when power may be reliably restored, a Heathrow spokesperson told Reuters in an email, and added that they expect significant disruption over the coming days.
Eurocontrol, which manages air traffic control operations across Europe, said on its operations website that no arrivals were being allowed at Heathrow due to the power outage and there were diversion plans in place for flights.
Heathrow is one of the busiest two-runway airports in the world with about 1,300 combined take-offs and landings a day, according to its website.
"Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world," said Ian Petchenik, spokesman for FlightRadar24. "This is going to disrupt airlines' operations around the world."
(Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru and Jamie Freed; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
4 days ago
- Zawya
United expands Africa network with Dakar-Washington route
United Airlines has officially launched a nonstop, year-round service between Dakar, Senegal, and Washington DC, marking the airline's first direct route connecting Senegal and the United States. The service operates three times a week, making United the sole carrier offering direct flights between these two capitals. The addition of this route expands United's African network to six destinations, which also include Accra, Lagos, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Marrakesh. "We are excited to launch United's first-ever service from Senegal, further expanding our route network from Africa to the US," says Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and alliances at United Airlines. "Travellers from Senegal will benefit from a direct service to the U.S. capital, as well as the possibility to connect seamlessly via our Washington Dulles hub to 65 destinations across the Americas." Boost for travel and trade links Askin Demir, general director of LAS, comments: 'By welcoming United Airlines to Blaise Diagne Airport, we are opening a new route for connections to America. "The arrival of United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the United States, will offer travellers from AIBD more connections to the United States and beyond, while also reinforcing our network in West Africa and Europe.' US Ambassador to Senegal Michael Raynor adds: "United Airlines is launching not simply a new air route, but new ways to bring our two nations closer together. "United's entry into Francophone West Africa, with Senegal as its first destination, speaks volumes about the boundless potential that the United States private sector and government see in this region, and in Senegal in particular as a dynamic and democratic hub with a fast-growing economy and a talented workforce." The route is operated with a Boeing 767-300 aircraft, featuring 30 United Polaris business suites with direct aisle access, 24 United Premium Plus seats, and 149 economy seats, including 32 United Economy Plus seats. Flight schedule (local times): Dakar (DSS) to Washington DC (IAD): UA460 departs at 9.05am, arriving at 2.05pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Washington DC (IAD) to Dakar (DSS): UA461 departs at 6.30pm, arriving at 7am the next day on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This service forms part of United's largest international expansion, adding new destinations and routes across the Atlantic for travellers this season. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
28-05-2025
- Zawya
London's Heathrow Airport 'responded well' to outage in March, review finds
London's Heathrow Airport responded well to a major power outage in March that forced Britain's biggest hub to shut down for almost a day, a review commissioned by the airport concluded on Wednesday. "We have concluded that the Airport responded well on the day and was able to restore full operations smoothly the following day," the review, led by former transport minister Ruth Kelly, said. "The Review has, however, identified a number of lessons learned and makes several recommendations on how the Airport should now further enhance its ability to respond to major incidents such as this one." (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James)
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Zawya
Airline CEOs say US air traffic control system 'failing Americans,' call for action
Major airline CEOs on Wednesday called on Congress to approve billions of dollars to modernize the aging U.S. air traffic control system, saying the current system is "failing Americans." The heads of American Airlines, United Airlines , Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines and Atlas Air, along with senior executives at FedEx and UPS in a joint letter cited recent failures involving Newark Airport and said the Federal Aviation Administration's technology "is wildly out of date." They called for urgent action as the busy summer travel season begins with the Memorial Day holiday this weekend. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Louise Heavens)
