Heathrow closed all day after nearby fire causes power outage

Heathrow Airport remained closed all day Friday after a fire at a nearby electrical substation that supplies it with power

Heathrow, the world's second-busiest airport, warns of "significant disruption" over the coming days and tells passengers not to travel "under any circumstances" until it reopens

At least 1,351 flights to and from the airport in west London could be cancelled today, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24

The implications will stretch far wider than Heathrow, and could impact flights much further afield, writes our transport correspondent

The fire at the substation in Hayes has left more than 4,900 homes without power and 150 people were evacuated from surrounding properties

The cause of the fire is not yet known

Has your flight been affected? Or have you been evacuated from your home after the fire? We want to hear from you, and you can get in touch here

London’s Heathrow Airport has announced a complete shutdown because of a power outage due to a large fire nearby, causing massive disruption to one of the world’s busiest travel hubs. An airline analytics firm estimated that “upwards of 145,000” passengers could be impacted.

The airport is warning of “significant disruption” over the coming days. Heathrow said “passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens” and should contact their airline for more information.

The large blaze near Heathrow will be a “prolonged incident” with disruption for residents in the area expected to increase, according to the London Fire Brigade. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, it said.

The term "nightmare" is too weak of a descriptor to paint a true picture of the chaos this will cause.

Every type of crisis meeting you can imagine is taking place as authorities at Heathrow, and at airlines who rely on the world's second-largest airport, work furiously to implement backup plans.

There’s a contingency plan for everything, but the issue for flight planners, airlines and airports across the UK and Europe is encapsulated by one word: capacity.

Gatwick has already said it will help as much as it can, but I was standing on the controversial north runway just a few weeks ago, 200m (656 feet) away from the airport's only operational runway. A flight was taking off and leaving around every one minute and 10 seconds.

We were talking expansion that day - but the bosses made it clear, Gatwick is slammed. It’s full. Its ability to help will be highly limited.

Airports in Europe and in the UK are already pitching in. Some passengers have been diverted to Manchester; no doubt they are sighing a breath of relief to be just hundreds of miles away from their intended destination.