London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, was forced to close on Friday after a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a major power outage. The incident, which occurred at the North Hyde Electricity Substation in Hayes, disrupted operations and left an estimated 200,000 travelers stranded. Heathrow announced on social media that the airport would remain closed until 11:59 p.m. local time on Friday, advising passengers not to travel to the airport “to maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues.”
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed there is currently “no indication of foul play,” but counterterrorism officers have taken charge of the investigation due to the substation’s critical role in national infrastructure. “The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries to minimize disruption and identify the cause,” the police said in a statement.
The outage has caused widespread chaos, with over 1,350 flights into and out of Heathrow affected, according to FlightRadar24. Flights were diverted to other airports, including London’s Gatwick, Paris’s Charles de Gaulle, and Ireland’s Shannon. British Airways, which operates its main hub at Heathrow, warned of significant disruptions and said it was working to update passengers on their options for the “next 24 hours and beyond.”
Passengers shared stories of frustration and confusion. Tori Dunzello, who was traveling to the U.K. for her father’s funeral, told BBC News that her flight was diverted to Canada. “I saw the time on the screen start to increase, and then we made a big U-turn,” she said.
The impact of the outage is expected to last several days, with aviation consultant John Strickland comparing the disruption to “a contained version of 9/11 or the Icelandic volcanic eruption” in 2010. “Heathrow being such a busy airport and full, there’s no kind of wriggle room for getting out of these kind of things,” he told The Associated Press.
National Rail services to and from Heathrow were also canceled for the day, though some passengers attempted to enter the airport on foot, only to be turned away by police. As authorities work to restore power and investigate the cause of the fire, travelers face ongoing uncertainty and delays.
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