London’s Heathrow Airport shuts down due to power outage, triggering global travel chaos

Several flights diverted to Manchester airport

From CNN’s Lauren Kent in London and Sarah Boxer

Flights are being diverted all over Europe, including five flights diverted to the UK’s Manchester airport, about 200 miles northwest from London.

Manchester airport is not expecting further flight diversions and the closure of Heathrow airport is not impacting the airport’s flights to other destinations, according to a spokesperson.

“The diverted flights were ones that were already in the air, so that’s a diminishing number,” airport spokesman Michael Murphy-Pyle told CNN. He added that airports and airlines are well-versed in taking diverted flights, which is a common practice during adverse weather or other airport disruptions.

At least 120 flights in the air were diverted to alternate airports, according to Flightradar24. Flights scheduled to land at Heathrow on Friday morning have also been diverted to airports in Madrid, Paris and Shannon, Ireland.

Airlines roll out emergency measures amid Heathrow disruption

From CNN’s Olivia Kemp in London

An airplane remains parked on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport on Friday.

Carlos Jasso/Reuters

Airlines are canceling flights and urging passengers to stay away from London Heathrow amid a massive disruption at one of the world’s busiest travel hubs.

Ryanair has launched eight “rescue flights” between Dublin and London Stansted to help affected passengers. Four flights will operate Friday, and four on Saturday. Tickets will go live at 5:30 a.m. ET.

Air France has canceled eight flights to and from Heathrow, but says routes to other UK airports are operating normally.

Virgin Atlantic is warning: “If you are traveling to or from London Heathrow today, please do not proceed to your departure airport at this time.” The airline said on its site that they are “offering flexible options” to help customers adjust their travel plans.

British Airways adds: “Customers due to travel from Heathrow on Friday are advised not to travel to the airport until further notice. 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.”

Qatar Airways says multiple flights have been affected and adds: “Qatar Airways is working closely with LHR airport officials. Passengers impacted due to above will be taken care of by our customer care and airport teams.

Shares in airlines tumble as big financial losses expected

From CNN’s Anna Cooban

Shares in British Airways owner International Airlines Group sank as much as 5% Friday morning after the closure of Heathrow Airport left thousands of passengers stranded around the world.

IAG shares pared those losses to trade 3.6% down on the day by 4.53 a.m. ET.

Shares in other airlines due to fly into Heathrow on Friday also suffered losses, with Lufthansa down 2.2% and Air France-KLM 2.5% by mid-morning local time.

Shukor Yusof, the founder of Singapore-based Endau Analytics, an advisory firm that focuses on the aviation industry, told CNN that the financial losses from the shutdown could be in the “hundreds of millions of pounds.”

No suggestion of foul play in fire, energy minister says, but government has no “real understanding” of cause yet

From CNN’s Lauren Kent in London

Members of the Fire Brigade work the scene following a fire at an electrical substation that supplies Heathrow Airport on Friday.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

UK Energy Minister Ed Miliband said there was “no suggestion” that foul play caused the fire at an electrical substation that led to widespread power outages and forced the closure of London’s Heathrow Airport.

“There’s no suggestion that there is foul play, just a catastrophic accident, is what we’re looking at,” Miliband added, citing his conversation with the chief executive of the UK’s national grid.

No suggestion of foul play in fire, energy minister says, but government has no “real understanding” of cause yet

From CNN’s Lauren Kent in London

Members of the Fire Brigade work the scene following a fire at an electrical substation that supplies Heathrow Airport on Friday.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

“We’re just going to have to cancel the whole trip,” says frustrated passenger

From CNN’s Esha Mitra in New Delhi

Siya Shah was all set to fly from London to New Delhi for her cousin’s wedding when she was forced to turn around on her way to Heathrow Airport.

The 21-year-old physiotherapist from London had read about the massive blaze which forced the airport’s closure but said airline representatives had told her to go to Heathrow anyway.

More than 1,350 flights going in or out of Heathrow on Friday will be affected, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, throwing the plans of tens of thousands of travelers into disarray.

Gauri Bhosale, a research scientist living in Cambridge, was due to fly from Heathrow to Mumbai to see family. She told CNN that when she saw the news about the airport closure, she called the airline, but they didn’t seem to know about the incident.

“I spoke to the operator, they weren’t aware of any problems, and they said all the flights were still on time on their system,” she said.

Eventually she received a notification that her flight had been canceled.

Rail services around Heathrow also disrupted by power outage

From CNN’s Alex Stambaugh

Trains around London Heathrow have also been disrupted due to the substation fire that caused widespread outages and led to the complete closure of the airport on Friday.

Heathrow Express, which connects the airport to Paddington station in central London, said there are no services in either direction.

Transport for London also said there is no service between Hayes & Harlington railway station – near where the power substation is located – and Heathrow. There are also “severe delays” between Hayes & Harlington and Paddington due to the “power supply failure” at the airport, it said.

Plane was stuck on tarmac for over 3 hours at Boston airport, passenger says

From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau and Hassan Tayir

Molly Zhang, a US-based Chinese student, told CNN she and other passengers on a London-bound plane were stuck on the tarmac at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday night for three and a half hours after the announcement of a fire near London’s Heathrow Airport.

Their flight was scheduled to depart at 11 p.m. ET.

“We’re just waiting,” she told CNN before eventually being allowed off the plane and sent to a hotel at around 2 a.m. ET.

Zhang said she was traveling to the UK to visit a friend during spring break. “I told him he doesn’t need to pick me up now,” she added.

Blaze at electricity substation under control, fire officials say

From CNN’s Alex Stambaugh

This image shared by the London Fire Brigade shows smoke in the air following a fire at the electrical substation in Hayes, England.

London Fire Brigade/X

The fire at an electrical substation that caused widespread power outages and forced the closure of London’s Heathrow Airport is “now under control,” according to the London fire department.

“The fire in Hayes is now under control, but we will remain on scene throughout the day,” the London Fire Brigade said in an update on X.

Firefighters had worked through the night to put out the blaze at the substation in Hayes, a London suburb located just a few miles from the airport.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Disruptions extend beyond Heathrow, with “hundreds of millions of pounds in losses” expected

From CNN’s John Liu

Airplanes remain parked on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport after a fire at a nearby electrical substation wiped out the power at the airport.

Carlos Jasso/Reuters

The impact of the disruptions at Heathrow is expected to extend well beyond Britain’s largest travel hub, potentially costing the airline industry hundreds of millions of pounds.

The chaos in global air travel could last days, if not weeks, according to an aviation expert.

Shukor Yusof, the founder of Singapore-based Endau Analytics, an advisory firm that focuses on the aviation industry, told CNN the financial losses from the shutdown could be in the “hundreds of millions of pounds.”

Britain’s Transport Secretary receiving updates on “fast-moving” situation at Heathrow

From CNN’s James Frater

Britain’s Transport Secretary said she was receiving updates on the “fast-moving situation” at Heathrow after “significant power outages” forced the airport to completely shut down Friday due to a substation fire nearby.

She urged passengers not to travel to the airport.

Babies cried, coffee was served, bags came back fast: CNN’s Richard Quest on board a canceled flight from Brazil

CNN’s Richard Quest was on a flight set to take off from Brazil’s Sao Paulo to London Heathrow when news emerged of the fire in Hayes. Here’s what he sent us:

I boarded the plane around 11p.m. and very quickly we got word that things were not going to be smooth flying. The captain told us of the fire in Hayes and we all immediately went online to see what we could find out.

And then the time just started passing. Babies cried; coffee was served. Every half an hour or so the captain would make an announcement telling us about the latest situation in London: meetings were being held; planes were being diverted. He was trying to get more information.

Those of us who were in business class were able to recline and get a bit of sleep, and we kept waiting and waiting for more information. The captain told us that we burned off fuel with the auxiliary power unit and we wouldn’t have enough to get to London anyway, so he topped up the tanks and then we waited a bit more.

Finally, at 4 a.m. he told us the flight was canceled and that we would be bussed back. Hotels were being arranged. immigration in São Paulo was quick and to the point; no one seemed to want to ask any questions.

The bags are going round the carousel. This must be the fastest baggage delivery I’ve seen in years and now I have just got to work out where I’m going to sleep. There are lots of people who are making the same decision: get a hotel; abandon the trip and go home; change direction?”

It is now 4.30 a.m. I am still deciding whether it is worth heading to London or abandoning it and going to New York.

Source: CNN WORLD.