London’s Heathrow Airport announced a complete shutdown all day Friday due to a significant power outage caused by a nearby fire. This has led to massive disruption at one of the world’s busiest travel hubs as flights were forced to turn back midair or divert to other locations. According to a statement from Heathrow Airport on X, the outage was due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport. The airport stated, “To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March.” They also advised passengers not to travel to the airport under any circumstances until it reopens. A transformer at an electrical substation in Hayes, near the airport, caught fire Thursday night. The cause is still unknown, and firefighters were still working to extinguish the blaze early Friday morning. Over 16,000 homes lost power, with Britain’s National Grid working to restore it. Videos shared on social media showed large flames and smoke rising into the air. Heathrow Airport, which handled about 83.9 million passengers last year, could see tens of thousands of travelers affected. Flights coming from various regions, including the United States, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, are impacted. Cirium estimated that upwards of 145,000 passengers could be affected. Some flights had to turn back mid-journey, while others were diverted to alternative airports. Heathrow’s closure poses challenges for other nearby airports, which may already be at capacity. Smaller airports may struggle to handle the influx of diverted passengers. Authorities are investigating why Heathrow didn’t tap into a backup power source. — news from CNN
