By Sam Akpan with agency report
Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow, was shut down early Friday after a significant fire broke out at a neighbourhood electrical substation, officials said.
The fire, which caused a major power outage, has disrupted flights and affected thousands of passengers.
“Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the airport operator said in a statement on its website.
“Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”
The airport is expected to remain closed until just before midnight Friday (2359 GMT).
Several flights have already been diverted, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.
A Qantas flight arriving from Perth was diverted to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle, while a United Airlines flight from New York was due to land in Ireland’s Shannon instead.
London Fire Brigade said the fire at the substation in Hayes, a town in the London borough of Hillingdon, has caused significant disruption.
“The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimize disruption,” said Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne.
Goulbourne added that firefighters are working tirelessly to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible.
Heathrow handles more than 80 million passengers a year, and the airport authorities have warned of “significant disruption” over the coming days.
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