Heathrow Airport resumed operations partially, with the first flight landing after an 18-hour shutdown on Friday due to a blackout. This led to widespread flight cancellations, rerouting issues, and left around 200,000 passengers stranded.
The blackout occurred after a fire broke out late Thursday night at a substation about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the airport. Firefighters took about seven hours to bring it under control. Authorities found no signs of foul play, and the London Fire Brigade will investigate the substation’s electrical equipment.
1,350 flights disrupted
Heathrow Airport disrupted at least 1,350 flights, which were either cancelled or diverted, news agency AP reported. The impact of the outage is expected to last for days as passengers reschedule and airlines adjust their schedules.
British Airways jet lands after 18-hour shutdown
After power was restored, Heathrow reopened partially, with a British Airways jet landing just before sunset on Friday. More flights followed, including one from Manchester.
A British Airways flight to Riyadh took off before 9 pm, and the airline planned to operate eight long-haul flights that night. The airport aimed to resume a full schedule by Saturday.
Residents in west London reported hearing a loud explosion, followed by a fireball and thick smoke. At the time of the closure, about 120 flights were in the air—some turned back, while others were diverted to Gatwick, Charles de Gaulle, or Shannon Airport.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/londons-heathrow-airport-resumes-operations-as-first-flight-lands-after-18-hour-shutdown-13873496.html.
