Heathrow Airport closed Friday as substation fire cuts power

London’s Heathrow airport will be shut all day Friday after a nearby fire caused a significant power outage, throwing one of the world’s busiest airports and the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people into chaos.

“Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation,” the airport operator said in a statement. “To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow” for the entire day, it said. 

“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances,” it added.

Heathrow, the home of airlines including IAG SA’s British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, handles more than 1,400 flights and 200,000 passengers a day. Some 120 planes already en-route were diverting or returning to their origin, including flights operated by Qantas Airways Ltd., Delta Air Lines Inc. and American Airlines, according to tracking service Flightradar24.

The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters were tackling a blaze at an electrical substation in Hayes, just north of Heathrow.

“This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on scene throughout the night. As we head into the morning, disruption is expected to increase,” the brigade’s Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said in a statement.