Aviation: Over 1,200 flights disrupted due to Heathrow Airport power outage
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: A major fire in an electrical substation at London’s busy Heathrow International Airport on Friday forced the authorities to close the facility for at least 24 hours, disrupting more than 1,200 flights, including 37 from and to India, the media reported.
The Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest in the world, handles approximately 1,280 flights daily.
According to flightradar24.com, when the airport announced its shutdown, about 120 planes from around the world were heading towards Heathrow. They were promptly diverted to other airports or returned to their origins.
Passengers from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad were impacted, with alternative travel arrangements being sought amidst the ongoing disruptions.
According to reports, at least 37 flights (two-way) between India and the UK were impacted on Friday.
Air India, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air Canada operate flights between India and London’s Heathrow Airport. The aircraft bound for London on Friday were either diverted or returned to base. Flights due to take off in the afternoon were cancelled.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 1,186 flights (two-way) are scheduled between India and Heathrow Airport in March, or around 38 flights a day. British Airways had one planned cancellation on Friday in advance.
Most of India’s London-bound daily flights emerge from Delhi and Mumbai, followed by Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Apart from these non-stop flights, many passengers also travel via hubs in West Asia (the Middle East) and Europe.
London’s Heathrow is also the busiest gateway for India in Europe, with over 2.3 million passengers (two-way) travelling between January and October 2024. This figure does not include passengers who flew onward from London. So, the actual number of passengers will be significantly higher as the UK airport is a key hub for India-North America flights as well.
Air India, which operates 84 services weekly between India and Heathrow, stated that its operations to and from Heathrow have been disrupted. In a statement, it said the London Heathrow-bound aircraft (Flight AI 129) from Mumbai returned to base, and the one operating from Delhi to London (Flight AI 161) was diverted to Frankfurt.
“All our remaining flights to and from London Heathrow, including AI 111 this morning, have been cancelled for March 21. We will update about the resumption of operations as soon as we have more information. Flights to London Gatwick remain unaffected,” the airline said.
British Airways, which operates 98 flights between Heathrow and India, stated on X that customers due to travel from Heathrow on Friday are advised not to travel to the airport until further notice due to the power outage at the airport.
“This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we are working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond,” it added.
On Friday morning, the airport operator stated on X: “Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage. To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 11.59 PM on 21 March. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information.”
“Consequently, London Heathrow-bound AI129 from Mumbai is returning to Mumbai; AI161 from Delhi is diverting to Frankfurt. All our remaining flights to and from London Heathrow, including AI111 this morning, have been cancelled for 21 March. We will update about the resumption of operations as soon as we have more information. Flights to London Gatwick remain unaffected,” it added.
