Air India, the largest airline in the country, announced on Friday that its flights to and from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) have been disrupted due to the temporary suspension of airport operations.
Heathrow Airport, London, has been shut for the day due to a power failure caused by a fire that broke out in a substation. More than 16,000 homes are now without electricity.
Air India announced in a press release that the AI129 bound for London Heathrow from Mumbai would be returning to Mumbai, and AI161 departing from Delhi would be diverted to Frankfurt.
“All of our remaining flights from and to London Heathrow have been cancelled, including AI111 this morning.” The airline said it would update on the resumption as soon as more information is available.
Further, it stated that flights from London Gatwick are unaffected. London Heathrow airport sent out an X message to passengers advising them to cancel their travel plans and to contact the airlines they are flying with for further information.
Heathrow has a major power outage because of a fire that broke out at an electrical substation. Heathrow is closed until 11.59pm on March 21, to ensure the safety of passengers and employees.
According to reports, several flights were already diverted and the airport authorities “expect a significant disruption in the coming days”.
The reports mention that the Scottish Southern Electricity Network (SSEN), which supplies electricity to nearly four millions homes in central and Southern England, as well the north of Scotland said that the fire broke out at North Hyde Substation and that emergency services are on the scene. Heathrow Airport is the largest airport in the UK, with around 1,300 landings or take-offs per day. Last year, a record 83.9 millions passengers passed through the airport’s terminals.
