HEATHROW Airport has been shut down for the entire day after a horror fire and a “significant power outage”.
The busiest airport in Europe has been plunged into chaos as it remains closed until 11.59pm on Friday – dashing more than 1,000 travel plans.
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Flights across Europe are having to be diverted to alternative airports or return to their original destination.
In total, the closure is expected to impact more than 1,300 flights, according to FlightRadar24..
Rail services to and from Heathrow – which more than 200,000 people travel through every day – have been cancelled today, National Rail said.
It comes as more than 16,000 homes were also left without power after the blaze broke out at a substation in Hayes, West London, shortly after 11pm on Thursday.
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Traffic chaos
The carnage continues this morning as photographs show bumper-to-bumper traffic building around the airport.
Weary travellers reported being told their holiday had been scrapped less than an hour before departure.
FlightRadar24 shows aircraft being diverted to a range of airports including those in Germany, France, Ireland and Manchester.
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More than 1,300 journeys cancelled or delayed
At present 120 planes already circulating Heathrow airspace are being diverted or turned around.
Passengers from across the globe, from San Francisco to Australia have been impacted, with around 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow set to be affected.
This could mean as many as 145,000 travelers see their plans squashed by the closure, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.
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Diverted flights
Many aircraft have been diverted to Gatwick this morning.
Flights from Singapore, Johannesburg, Lagos, Cape Town and Doha were redirected.
A statement from a London Gatwick spokesperson said: “We are aware of the situation at Heathrow Airport today and we are supporting by accepting diverted flights as required. Flights are operating from London Gatwick as normal today.”
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‘Logistical nightmare’
Neil Hansford, head of the Sydney-based Strategic Aviation Solutions consultancy, told The Guardian the fire has triggered a “logistical nightmare”.
Surrounding London airports such as Gatwick and Stansted would be unable to manage all of Heathrow’s diverted flights.
“These airports can’t take anything close to the volume of Heathrow’s five terminals, where there’s an arrival every minute,” said Hansford.