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First flight touches down at London's Heathrow after 18-hour shutdown caused by power cut
At least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow were affected, with disruptions expected to continue for days as passengers rebook and airlines adjust schedules.
A British Airways jet landed at Heathrow Airport late Friday, nearly 18 hours after a fire at an electrical substation caused a power outage, forcing the closure of Europe’s busiest air hub.
The airport lifted its closure order just before sunset, restoring operations after a disruption that affected hundreds of thousands of passengers worldwide.
According to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, at least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow were affected, with disruptions expected to continue for days as passengers rebook and airlines adjust schedules.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire but have found no evidence it was suspicious.
Witnesses in west London reported hearing a massive explosion, followed by a fireball and plumes of smoke, as the blaze engulfed the electrical substation near Heathrow Airport.
Flight tracking services showed that about 120 flights were airborne when the closure was announced, with some turned around and others diverted to Gatwick Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, or Shannon Airport in Ireland.
Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports for international travel, had its busiest January on record earlier this year, with over 6.3 million passengers, a more than 5 percent increase compared to last year.
However, the disruption on Friday was not as severe as the one caused by the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which released ash clouds that caused months of trans-Atlantic air travel chaos.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, but authorities have stated that there is no suggestion of foul play, according to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
Counterterrorism detectives probe Heathrow substation fire
Counterterrorism detectives are leading the investigation into the electrical substation fire near Heathrow, as the Metropolitan Police emphasized their expertise in swiftly determining the cause and the fire's impact on critical national infrastructure.
Heathrow confirmed that its backup power supply, designed for emergencies, functioned as intended but was insufficient to operate the entire airport, forcing the closure for the day.
“We expect significant disruption over the coming days, and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens," the airport said.
The fire's widespread impact, which took seven hours to control, prompted criticism that Britain was ill-prepared for a disaster or potential attack, as a single blaze was able to shut down Europe’s busiest airport.
With AP inputs
