London Heathrow Airport, referred to as a 'critical gateway to European skies,' will be closed all day on the 21st (local time) due to a power outage caused by a fire.
According to the Associated Press and Reuters, Heathrow Airport announced in a statement that "a fire broke out at the substation supplying electricity to the airport, resulting in a serious power outage,” and it would close until 11:59 p.m. that day for the safety of passengers and staff.
It also noted that significant disruptions to airport operations are expected for several days ahead, advising passengers not to come to the airport under any circumstances until operations resume.
The fire at a substation in West Hayes, near Heathrow Airport, was the cause of the power outage. London Fire Brigade reportedly dispatched about 70 firefighters to the scene and evacuated approximately 150 nearby residents.
This fire has reportedly caused power outages not only at Heathrow Airport but also affecting more than 16,300 households. The exact cause of the fire is still unknown.
The closure of Heathrow Airport is expected to inconvenience hundreds of thousands of passengers who intended to use the facility that day.
According to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24, about 100 flights have been canceled, and approximately 120 flights have redirected to London Gatwick Airport or Stansted, Birmingham Airport, or Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.
FlightRadar24 tallied that at least 1,351 flights will be affected due to the closure of the airport that day.
According to the flight data analysis company OAG, Heathrow Airport is the second busiest international airport by passenger numbers (based on seat capacity) after Dubai Airport. An average of about 200,000 passengers have used this airport daily over the past year.
The airport stated that it would provide updates on operational plans as soon as more information regarding power restoration is secured.