Several UAE flights have been impacted by the closure of London’s Heathrow Airport today. Earlier, the airport announced that it will be closed until midnight on March 21, after experiencing a power outage due to a fire at an electrical substation.
London’s main airport said that it had suffered a significant power failure due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the facility. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21st March,” Heathrow Airport said in a post on X. “Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information,” it added.
Etihad, Emirates flights impacted
Several flights departing from the UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi particularly, to London’s Heathrow Airport were impacted. Etihad Airways said that flights EY63 Abu Dhabi to LHR, EY64 LHR to Abu Dhabi, EY65 Abu Dhabi to LHR and EY66 LHR to Abu Dhabi will be canceled.
Additionally, today’s EY61 service from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow was forced to divert to Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
“The safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority and we regret any inconvenience caused by this disruption,” the airline added.
Emirates also has announced that its flights to and from Heathrow on Friday will be canceled. Emirates flights EK001/002, EK029/030 and EK031/032 will be canceled. Flights EK008, EK003/004 and EK005/006 will also be cancelled.
“Passengers booked or connecting onto the canceled flights to London Heathrow will not be accepted for travel. We’re monitoring the situation closely and will update our customers as the situation develops,” the carrier said in a statement.
According to Heathrow, British Airways BA106 from Dubai was diverted, while BA104 and BA108 were canceled. Virgin Atlantic’s VS401 from Dubai was also canceled.
Qatar Airways flights
Qatar Airways also announced that the following flights have been impacted:
DOH to LHR: QR011, QR107, QR003 and QR007.
LHR to DOH: QR006, QR010, QR004, QR008, and QR006.
“Qatar Airways is working closely with LHR airport officials. Passengers impacted due to above will be taken care of by our customer care and airport teams,” the airline added.
Read: London Heathrow Airport shuts down as fire cuts power, flights diverted
1,350 flights to be impacted
The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were on the scene after a transformer within an electrical substation caught fire in west London late Thursday night.
At least 1,350 flights will be impacted, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar 24 — not including flights that might be canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position.
The airport was due to handle 1,351 flights during the day, flying up to 291,000 passengers. British Airways, the biggest carrier at Heathrow, had 341 flights scheduled to land at Heathrow on Friday.
London Gatwick Airport said on Friday it would accept some flights from Heathrow. “We are aware of the situation at Heathrow today and are supporting where required. Flights from London Gatwick are operating as normal today,” the airport said on X.
