Heathrow Airport in London was closed for most of Friday after it lost power because of a nearby fire, shutting down one of the world’s busiest air hubs and causing worldwide travel disruptions.
Some flights were expected to resume later in the day, and an airport spokeswoman said officials hoped that the airport would be fully operating by Saturday.
An average of more than 220,000 passengers a day traveled through the airport last year, on flights offered by dozens of airlines to more than 230 destinations around the globe.
The problem began with a nearby fire.
Heathrow said the power outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport.
The London Fire Brigade said that it was called to the fire, in western London, around 11:20 p.m. on Thursday, and deployed dozens of firefighters. About 150 people were evacuated from the area. The fire was under control by around 6:30 a.m., the fire brigade said.
Britain’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, told LBC Radio that so far “there’s no suggestion there is any foul play.”
Counterterrorism specialists are involved in the investigation, given the location of the substation and the impact on critical national infrastructure, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
When will Heathrow reopen?
Some flights at Heathrow were expected to resume later on Friday, an airport spokeswoman said.
“Our first flights will be repatriation flights and relocating aircraft,” she said. Passengers should not go to the airport without first checking with their airline.
The ripple effects are global.
Heathrow’s closure was expected to affect at least 1,351 flights in and out of the airport, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking website. As the closure was announced early Friday, 120 aircraft were in the air heading to Heathrow.
Some were diverted to other airports, including London Gatwick Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris, Flightradar24 said. Others turned back to the airports they had left.
As many as 290,000 people scheduled to fly to or from Heathrow could be affected by the closure, said Mike Arnot, a spokesman for the aviation analytics firm Cirium.
British Airways said eight of its long-haul flights would depart from Heathrow on Friday evening, so some customers can make their way to the airport.
It could take several days for airlines to rebook passengers.
British Airways said it was giving customers who had booked travel to or from Heathrow over the weekend the option to rebook for free for a later date.
Of the eight flights scheduled to leave Kennedy International Airport in New York for Heathrow on Friday, five have already been canceled, according to departure boards at Kennedy. All eight arriving flights from Heathrow were canceled.
A spokesman for United Airlines said that most of the airline’s 17 scheduled flights to Heathrow Airport are expected to depart late Friday evening, arriving on Saturday morning.
Britain’s laws protect many travelers facing disruptions.
Airlines are required to look after travelers who are departing Britain on any airline or arriving there on a European Union or British airline. Travelers whose flights are canceled should be offered a choice of a refund or alternate travel arrangements at the earliest opportunity, according to Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Passengers who choose to travel at another time must be provided with a reasonable amount of food or drink, accommodation if the new flight does not depart until the next day, and transportation to and from the accommodation.
Passengers whose flight has been canceled or diverted should check with their airline on its policies.
