Aussie travel plans in chaos as Heathrow Airport in London shuts after major fire at electrical substation nearby
Heathrow Airport said it would resume “some flights” after a major blaze broke out nearby but Aussies heading to and from London have had their travel plans thrown into disarray. See the video.
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London’s Heathrow Airport said it would resume “some flights” later on Friday local time after a fire at a power station shuttered Europe’s busiest airport.
“We’re now safely able to begin some flights later today. Our first flights will be repatriation flights and relocating aircraft,” an airport spokesperson said in a statement.
But Aussies headed to and from London faced travel chaos after Europe’s busiest airport was closed due to a major fire, with more than 1,350 flights impacted.
The airport was shut down early Friday local time after a major fire at neighbourhood electrical substation supplying power to the sprawling facility west of London, officials said.
Several flights were diverted immediately, flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 reported, while airport authorities said they “expect significant disruption over the coming days”, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers affected.
“Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the airport operator said in a statement on its website, adding it would be closed until just before midnight Friday (local time).
“Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”
A Qantas flight arriving from Perth was diverted to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle while a United Airlines flight from New York was due to land in Ireland’s Shannon instead.
“Our Singapore-London and Perth-London services were diverted to Paris today, with buses arranged to take customers on to London,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
“Our teams are working hard to support impacted customers and we thank them for their patience.”
FlightRadar24 said Heathrow’s closure would affect at least 1,351 flights to and from the airport.
A total of 120 flights to the airport were in the air when the closure was announced, it added.
London Fire Brigade said the fire at a substation in Hayes, a town in the London borough of Hillingdon, was now “under control”.
“This was a very visible and significant incident, and our firefighters worked tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible,” the fire brigade’s assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.
“Thanks to their efforts and coordinated multi-agency response, we successfully contained the fire and prevented further spread.”
Officials at London’s Gatwick Airport said it would accept some flights from Heathrow in a bid to help ease air traffic woes.
“We are aware of the situation at Heathrow Airport today and are supporting as required. Flights from London Gatwick are operating as normal today,” they said.
Meanwhile, British Airways warned the closure of Heathrow Airport, its main hub, would significantly affect operations.
“This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we’re working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond,” the airline said.
Heathrow handles more than than 80 million passengers a year.
Situated 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of central London, the present Heathrow serves 200 destinations in more than 80 countries, with passengers having access to four terminals.
Among its main flight destinations last year were Dublin, Los Angeles, Madrid and New York.
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Originally published as Aussie travel plans in chaos as Heathrow Airport in London shuts after major fire at electrical substation nearby