Heathrow Airport Shuts Down Amid Major Power Outage

London’s Heathrow Airport faced a complete shutdown on Friday due to a major power outage triggered by a fire at a nearby electrical substation. The unexpected closure has led to severe travel disruptions, affecting thousands of passengers as flights were diverted, canceled, or forced to turn back mid-air.

Authorities confirmed that the fire broke out at an electrical substation in Hayes, a short distance from the airport, late Thursday night. The blaze caused extensive damage to power infrastructure, resulting in an airport-wide blackout. Emergency responders evacuated around 150 people from the area while utility providers scrambled to restore electricity. More than 16,000 homes were also affected by the outage.

Aviation officials announced that Heathrow would remain closed until 23:59 on March 21, with no clarity on when normal operations would resume. Passengers were advised not to travel to the airport under any circumstances.
Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports, handles around 250,000 passengers daily with approximately 1,300 flights. The closure has resulted in chaos for airlines and travelers alike.

Many flights en route to Heathrow had to turn back or be redirected to alternate airports. Data from aviation tracking services indicated that over 1,350 flights were affected, while at least 120 planes were already in the air when the shutdown was announced. Alternate airports such as Gatwick and Stansted struggled to accommodate diverted flights, with some planes landing as far as Glasgow and Edinburgh due to capacity constraints.

Passengers have expressed frustration and uncertainty, particularly those with urgent travel needs. Some were returning for personal emergencies, while others were traveling for weddings and business engagements. Airlines have been working to rebook stranded travelers, but options remain limited due to the large-scale disruption.

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