Heathrow plans to resume some flights today and hopes for full Saturday service
A stranded passenger at Heathrow Terminal 5 in London. Picture: PA
Britain's Heathrow said it had begun the process of reopening on Friday after a fire knocked out its power supply and shut Europe's busiest airport for the day, stranding thousands of passengers and causing travel turmoil worldwide.
Heathrow, the world's fifth-busiest airport, was forced to close after a huge fire engulfed a substation near the airport on Thursday night.
More than 1,350 flights to and from the airport were disrupted on Friday due to the closure of the airport following the fire.
"Our teams have worked tirelessly since the incident to ensure a speedy recovery. We’re now safely able to restart flights, prioritising repatriation and relocation of aircraft," the airport said in a statement on X.
"We hope to run a full operation tomorrow and will provide further information shortly. Our priority remains the safety of our passengers and those working at the airport. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this incident."
Heathrow is Britain's largest airport, with more than 83.9 million passengers travelling through its terminals in 2024.
The closure not only caused misery for travellers but provoked anger from airlines who questioned how such crucial infrastructure could fail.
The industry is now facing the prospect of a financial hit costing tens of millions of pounds, and a likely fight over who should pay.
PA news agency reporters inside Terminal 4 on Friday afternoon said lights in the main building have switched back on and lifts in the multi-storey car park are operational again.
Counter-terrorism police officers are leading the investigation into the cause of a fire which has led to the closure of Heathrow airport. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said there is “currently no indication of foul play” but “we retain an open mind at this time”.
The force said its Counter Terrorism Command would lead inquiries given the impact of the fire “on critical national infrastructure”.
Online flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the closure would affect at least 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow. It said 120 flights to the airport were in the air when the closure was announced.
Around 50 flights between Heathrow and Irish airports were impacted by the closure, likely affecting thousands of passengers. If people had plans to travel to Heathrow today, they are being advised not to go to the airport but to contact the airline.
Up to 2,000 people passed through Shannon Airport in the early hours of Friday morning when their flights were diverted unexpectedly in mid-air due to the closure.
The Co Clare airport accommodated six affected flights from Toronto, Atlanta, Bridgetown (Barbados), Boston, Orlando, and Newark.
By just after noon, all of the affected passengers had departed the airport, having been bused to hotels at short notice.
A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Group said: “We are closely monitoring the situation at Heathrow Airport and are providing support by accommodating diverted flights as needed and our team is on-site to assist with the additional passengers.
“So far, Shannon Airport has facilitated six diverted flights originally scheduled to land at Heathrow, including flights from Toronto, Atlanta, Bridgetown Barbados, Boston, Orlando and Newark.
“The first of these flights landed safely at 4.26am this morning.”
The airport has advised passengers that all London Heathrow flights to and from Shannon Airport today have been cancelled.
"Intending passengers are advised to contact their airline. Aside from this, Shannon Airport is operating its normal flight schedule today," the spokesperson added.
At Cork Aiport, eight flights were scheduled between the airport and Heathrow on Friday — four inbound and four outbound. The airport told the Irish Examiner that "all flights scheduled between Cork and London Heathrow up until at least mid-afternoon today have been cancelled".
"Further disruption to flights between Cork and Heathrow scheduled for later today is likely."
Passengers looking for updates regarding specific flights or to re-book or change flights are being advised to contact their airline directly by phone or online.
All flights between Dublin Airport and Heathrow on Friday have also been cancelled. The Daa, which operates Cork and Dublin airports, said there will be disruption for a few days.
Some 34 flights were scheduled between Dublin Airport and Heathrow on Friday — 17 inbound and 17 outbound. Two flights at both Shannon Airport and Ireland West Airport in Knock (one to and one from Heathrow) have been cancelled as well.
Media relations manager Graeme McQueen said: “Further disruption to flights between Dublin Airport and Heathrow over the coming days is possible.
“Passengers looking for updates regarding specific flights or to rebook or change flight are advised to contact their airline directly by phone or online.”
Other flights at Dublin Airport are not affected by the delays, Mr McQueen told RTÉ's Morning Ireland, but there could be some knock-on effects later today.
He said that Dublin Airport cannot accept any diverted flights from Heathrow but flights have been diverted to Shannon and Cork airports.
Ryanair passengers have not been affected as the airline flies to Standsted, not Heathrow. The airline has added eight extra flights between Dublin and London Stansted, four on Friday afternoon and four on Saturday morning.
Aer Lingus is planning to operate its "normal schedule" to and from London Heathrow on Saturday.
In light of the closure today, all of Aer Lingus’ services to and from London Heathrow were cancelled.
A spokesperson said: "Aer Lingus communicated directly with impacted customers, and our customer care teams are currently working hard to provide them with the options available to them, including applying for refunds, changing flights without a change fee applying, or, if a customer has an imminent requirement to travel, engaging them directly with our customer care team to arrange re-accommodation where possible."
Meanwhile, online tracking services showed flights being diverted to London's Gatwick Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
A number of flights were also turned around and returned to airports in Canada and the United States.
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