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Europe’s busiest airport, London’s Heathrow, will be closed for the entire day Friday, sparking travel chaos, after a fire at an electrical substation cut power to the area.
Heathrow advised passengers not to travel to the airport and to contact airlines for further instructions, saying in a statement on social media that no flights would be landing or taking off until at least “23h59 on 21 March.”
Around 1,300 flights arrive or depart from Heathrow each day, meaning thousands of travelers will be affected.
What happened at Heathrow airport?
A fire broke out Thursday night at an electrical substation in Nestles Avenue in Hayes, which is less than 5 kilometers from Heathrow.
Around 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines were working to douse the fire at the substation, which authorities said was under control on Friday morning. The fire caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes, local businesses and Heathrow airport.
Around 150 people were evacuated from the surrounding area and a 200-meter cordon established. The fire brigade advised local residents to keep windows and doors locked to keep smoke out of their homes.
By Friday morning, authorities had restored power to some properties.
U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Friday said she was “receiving updates on the fast-moving situation.”
Who is affected?
Heathrow is Europe’s — and the U.K.’s — busiest airport, handling over 1,300 take offs and landings a day.
According to flight tracking site Flightradar24, 1,351 flights were scheduled at Heathrow on Friday. Many of them will now either be canceled altogether, or diverted to other airports, throwing thousands of passengers’ travel plans into chaos. Heathrow also acts as a major worldwide hub for passengers flying onward to other destinations.
The Heathrow closure is likely to have knock-on effects for several days, even after the airport reopens.
Heathrow warned of “significant disruption” to travel over the coming days, and told passengers not to attempt to travel to the airport “under any circumstances” until it reopens.
Was it sabotage?
The cause of the fire is not yet known, the London Fire Brigade said in a statement.
British Energy Minister Ed Miliband told LBC Radio on Friday morning that “There’s no suggestion that there is foul play” involved.
But questions have been raised about Heathrow’s emergency preparedness and resilience.
“It’s very unusual” for an accident like this “to have such a big impact,” said Professor Zheng Lei, chair of Swinburne University’s Department of Aviation.
We “don’t really understand the details of the situation,” he said, adding he was unwilling to speculate on the cause. “But I can tell you it’s a very unusual event.”
What abot global trade?
What about trade?
The disruption — especially if it goes on for days — could also have “far-reaching impacts” for international trade, according to Marco Forgione, director general of the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, pointing out that Heathrow is the “U.K.’s largest freight hub by value.”
“Essential goods due to be delivered and leave will now face days of disruption, and because it’s air freight a lot of the goods are time sensitive. Even once flights recommence planes, crew and products will all be in the wrong place,” he added.
Seb Starcevic and Tommaso Lecca contributed to this report.
This story has been updated.
