EVERY flight from Heathrow Airport has been cancelled after a major fire - with the chaos set to last for days.
More than 200,000 passengers will be impacted in the coming days - with over 1,300 flights already reported to have been axed.
For The Sun's live blog on the Heathrow fire and aftermath click here
Travel industry Henry Harteveldt, of Atmosphere Research Group, told The Daily Telegraph: "It's going to be a chaotic couple of days."
Online flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the closure would affect more than 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow.
This includes 679 scheduled to land and 678 due to take off from the airport.
It said 120 flights to the airport were in the air when the closure was announced.
Many aircraft have been diverted to Gatwick this morning.
But an expert has warned surrounding airports, including also Stansted, will be unable to manage Heathrow's diverted flights.
Neil Hansford, head of the Sydney-based Strategic Aviation Solutions consultancy, told The Guardian the fire has triggered a "logistical nightmare".
“These airports can’t take anything close to the volume of Heathrow’s five terminals, where there’s an arrival every minute,” said Hansford.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: "Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation.
"Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.
"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025.
"We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.
For a live feed on flights being cancelled and diverted .
"We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available.
"We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation."
A Heathrow worker has told The Sun airport staff are currently on standby and could be recalled later today if the issue is resolved sooner than expected.
The worker, who did not wish to be named, said: “We are on standby, I was due to work today - there’s a chance we could get asked to go back to work later today.
“We do have late flights, and they may need to move schedules around. They always ask you to be on standby just in case.
“Everything lies with Heathrow, but all the airlines and companies have a contingency plan.
“The possibility is always there that they reopen early once the power problem is sorted.”
He went on to say tomorrow “is going to be probably pretty hectic”.
“It’s 311 aircraft landing and flying out, it is a huge impact - so tomorrow it will be like crazy, and not just tomorrow, it will take time to absorb the impact.”
He added: “We are trained for these types of scenarios and we know what to expect. But nobody knows what’s going to happen today or the day after.”
He said when he realised the power was off in the area and the substation was on fire, initially he feared it was an attack from Vladimir Putin.
“I was a bit concerned… first thing that comes to mind was ‘I hope it’s not Russia taking over the power plant’,” he said.
He was then called by a supervisor at around 3am to be told not to come to work but to remain available and wait for any updates.
By Lisa Minot, Travel Editor
HEATHROW’S closure is likely to cause massive disruption in the coming days as more than 200,000 impacted passengers struggle to get to their destination.
The last time Heathrow was closed for such a significant period was more than 15 years ago when a huge snowstorm closed all runways back in December 2010.
Then, more than 4,000 flights were cancelled over five days.
Today alone, 1,351 flights were due to take off and land at the UK’s largest airport.
More than 120 flights were already in the air and on their way to Heathrow when the fire broke out.
Planes have been diverted to airports across the UK and Europe.
Those who managed to land at a UK airport should count themselves lucky as they can at least continue their journey back to Heathrow via road or rail.
But it is going to cause significant disruption for hundreds of thousands of travellers today and in the coming days.
Right now, the airport and airlines are in crisis mode but in the coming weeks, no doubt questions will be asked as to how we can protect critical infrastructure and prevent this happening again.
The largest previous impact on Heathrow - and airports across Europe - was the closure of airspace following the volcanic ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland in April 2010 which saw disruption over five days.
It comes as counter terrorism police have been deployed to examine whether sabotage played a part, reports The Times.
It is understood that this is a precautionary measure rather than an indication of foul play.
Even if sabotage is ruled out, there will be major security questions about why such an important piece of infrastructure could be completely taken down by a single fire.
Dr Alan Mendoza, of the Henry Jackson society think tank, said: “Today’s situation at Heathrow shows Britain’s creaking critical national infrastructure problem.
"Fires happen. But they shouldn’t be capable of taking out an entire airport as it suggests backup systems are inadequate. A full national audit is required to prevent recurrences.”
The busiest airport in Europe was plunged into chaos and is set to remain closed until 11.59pm on Friday.
And the blaze, at a substation in Hayes, West London, cut more than 16,000 homes off from power shortly after 11pm yesterday.
Mr Harteveldt added: “The other question is, ‘What will airlines do to deal with the backlog of passengers?’”
Heathrow Airport issued a "do not travel" warning to all passengers, urging them to avoid the chaos and stay home.
Despite this some weary holidaymakers have arrived at their terminal this morning.
Frustrated travellers look downcast as they wait for further updates.
The largest previous impact on Heathrow - and airports across Europe - was the closure of airspace following the volcanic ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland in April 2010 which saw disruption over five days.
Today alone, 1,351 flights were due to take off and land at the UK’s largest airport.
Those who managed to land at a UK airport should count themselves lucky as they can at least continue their journey back to Heathrow via road or rail.
But it is going to cause significant disruption for hundreds of thousands of travellers today and in the coming days.
Right now, the airport and airlines are in crisis mode but in the coming weeks, no doubt questions will be asked as to how we can protect critical infrastructure and prevent this happening again.
Shocking footage this morning has revealed the extent of damage caused by the blaze.
Fire crews remain at the scene, on Nestles Avenue in Hayes, and continue to douse the area with water.
White smoke can still be seen rising from the scorched wreckage.
London Fire Brigade reported 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters arrived just before 6am with part of a transformer still on fire.
There have been no casualties or anyone treated for injuries at the scene of the fire, the London Ambulance Service said.
Hazardous area response teams and an incident response officer are currently on the scene, they said.
"We are currently supporting emergency services colleagues at the scene of a fire in Hayes," a spokesperson said.
"Please try to avoid the area and, if you live nearby, stay indoors and keep windows closed."
Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said passengers affected by Heathrow's closure are entitled to assistance from their airline.
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."
The Government will be doing everything it can to restore power to Heathrow, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said.
Mr Miliband was asked by Sky News whether a Cobra meeting of senior ministers would be convened to address the matter.
He replied: "I'm sure the Government will be convening in the most appropriate way.
"I'm not going to anticipate the precise form of that, but I'm already in touch with my colleagues on this issue.
"As I say, I've spoken to the National Grid, who are really at the epicentre of this, and we will be doing everything we can, both to restore power and help the National Grid.
"To do that, and to ensure that the DfT (Department for Transport), and the Government as a whole, plays its part in, as best we can, minimising the disruption to passengers."
Meanwhile, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said in a post on X the power outage affected more than 16,300 homes.
It said: "We're aware of a widespread power cut affecting many of our customers around the Hayes, Hounslow and surrounding areas."
National Rail reported several train routes were plunged into chaos as a result of the mass power outage.
Services on the Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 won't be operating today.
And, passengers won't be able to travel between Shenfield, Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 5.
The Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5 has also been shut down.
James Flanders, Chief Consumer Reporter
UNDER UK law, airlines are required to pay compensation to passengers when their flights are delayed or cancelled.
However, you only have the right to compensation in some circumstances.
There are two key factors:
- How severely you have been inconvenienced - for instance, if you have only been delayed slightly, you may not be entitled to compensation
- The cause of the delay - if the delay was caused by an "extraordinary circumstance" you will not be entitled to compensation.
Unfortunately for passengers due to travel today, airlines will largely view today's circumstances as out of their control.
This would qualify as an "extraordinary circumstance" and justify their move not to pay out to affected customers.
However, if your cancelled flight falls under UK law, your airline is obligated to either provide you with a refund should you no longer wish to travel, or arrange for you to be rebooked on an alternative flight.
If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight.
It's up to you whether to fly as soon as possible after the cancelled flight, or at a later date that suits you.
Although most airlines will book you onto another of their flights to the same destination, if an alternative airline is flying there significantly sooner or other suitable modes of transport are available then you may have the right to be booked onto that alternative transport instead.
If you do take an alternative flight, you're entitled to care and assistance while you wait, which usually means refreshments, access to communications.
You may also be entitled to accommodation and the necessary transfers if the flight is delayed until the next day or later and you're stranded.
If your airline advises you to make alternative travel arrangements and claim back the cost later, you should incur reasonable costs and keep all receipts.
You should discuss this with your airline.
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