Severe disruption is expected as Heathrow Airport is closed for the whole day following a huge fire at the electrical substation supplying its power. No flights will take off or land from the airport with hundreds of thousands of people expected to be impacted.
The airport has been plunged into darkness after the fire caused a huge power cut, bringing the UK's busiest airport to a complete standstill. Passengers are being warned that they "should not travel to the airport under any circumstances."
The main terminals at the airport - which is the fourth busiest in the world and sees more than 80 million passengers pass through each year - were eerily quiet on Friday morning. Some flights are being diverted to airports including London Gatwick. Read live updates on Heathrow's closure here.
Why is Heathrow Airport closed?
The UK's largest airport is closed due to a major powercut caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation which supplies its power. Emergency services were called to the scene at North Hyde substation in West London at 11.23pm on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Heathrow said they "do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored", which is why the decision has been made to close the airport until midnight.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is believed a transformer within the substation caught fire. Cabinet minister Ed Miliband has said it is "too early" to know the cause of the fire. He said, "It is obviously an unusual event, not something that has happened before."
The London Fire Brigade confirmed this morning that the fire was now "under control." Crews will remain on scene throughout the day to assist the National Grid.
How many passengers are affected?
It has been estimated that up 145,000 passengers could be affected by Heathrow's sudden closure today, according to flight analytics firm Cirium. This is based on the number of seats on flights that were expected to land or depart from Heathrow today.
Flightrader24 has confirmed that 679 flights are scheduled to land and 678 flights are scheduled to take off from Heathrow today. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter
Are flights from Cardiff Airport affected by the outage?
Cardiff Airport is not currently affected by the disruption at Heathrow Airport. Wales' main airport has flights to two UK cities - Belfast City and Edinburgh - but none to Heathrow Airport.
Are passengers entitled to compensation?
Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said passengers affected by Heathrow's closure are entitled to assistance from their airline, but not compensation as this incident will be considered as "extraordinary" and out of the airline's control. He said: "Don't attempt to travel to the airport, but instead keep in touch with your airline for their advice.
"If your flight is cancelled you won't be entitled to compensation as these events will be considered an extraordinary circumstance, but you will be entitled to assistance from your airline, including overnight accommodation if needed. Passengers will have the choice of being rerouted or accepting a refund, and if you opt for the former your airline is obliged to get you on a new flight as soon as possible, including with rival carriers from alternative airports.
"If you instead accept a refund, be aware that your airline will have no further duty of care to you and you'll need to make your own arrangements. It's also worth checking the terms of your travel insurance to see if you are able to recoup any other expenses you may have incurred as a result of this incident, such as car hire or airport parking fees."
When will Heathrow reopen?
Heathrow is expected to be closed all day. The latest update from Heathrow Airport says that it will reopen at 11.59pm on Friday.
A spokesperson said: "To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on March 21, 2025."
How long will disruption last?
Consultant John Strickland has warned that flight disruption from the closure of Heathrow will run for "several days" and will cost the aviation industry millions of pounds.
The aviation expert compared the impact on flights from the closure of Heathrow to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001 and the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in April 2010. He said: "It's a contained version of 9/11 or, to an extent, the Icelandic volcanic eruption. I remembered seeing on those occasions - particularly more so on 9/11 - it happened so quick and then US airspace was closed, they were turning back aircraft and holding planes.
"That's the parallel I would make. Heathrow being such a busy airport and full, there's no kind of wriggle room for getting out of these kind of things."
Was anyone injured in the fire?
The London Ambulance Service have confirmed that there have been no casualties or anyone treated for injuries at the scene of the fire at an electrical substation in Hayes. Around 150 people were evacuated.
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