A fire occurred in a power substation near Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, caused the terminal to close completely this Friday (21).
Considered the busiest in Europe and the fifth largest in the world, the British airport had all its arrival and departure flights cancelled due to the interruption in the electricity supply.
According to Heathrow management, operations are expected to resume this Friday at 23:59 local time (20:59 in Brasília).
Therefore, engers with scheduled flights were advised not to go to the airport and, instead, seek information directly from the airlines.
The strike affected around 1.357 flights scheduled for the day — including takeoffs and landings — directly impacting around 291 engers.
The impact has also spread globally, with routes being canceled or changed in other countries. Flights departing from the United States to Europe, for example, have had to return to their point of origin midway through their journey.
A Eurocontrol, the body responsible for managing air traffic in Europe, confirmed that no aircraft were authorized to land at Heathrow and that contingency measures were underway to redirect flights to other airports.
Several airlines have announced adjustments to their operations following the fire that affected the power supply at Heathrow Airport. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have temporarily suspended their flights, while Qantas Airways and United Airlines have redirected landings to Paris () and Shannon (Ireland) airports, respectively.
In addition, EasyJet and other low-cost carriers were forced to deploy larger aircraft to relocate engers to alternative airports. Preliminary estimates suggest that the damage caused by the incident could exceed £26 million.
the fire
Images circulating on social media show intense flames coming from the electrical substation near Heathrow Airport. Inside the terminal, videos showed engers in the dark, with only emergency lights working.
In response to the incident, the fire department advised residents in the area to keep their doors and windows closed to protect themselves from the smoke. The public was also advised to avoid the area until the situation was under control.
According to energy operator Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, approximately 16 homes were impacted by the power outage. The causes of the fire are still being investigated by British authorities.
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