London Heathrow Airport to Restart Some Flights on Friday Night, Following Electrical Fire

Update 1 p.m. EST:

London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) will restart some long-haul flights on Friday night, less than 24-hours after an electric fire at a substation north of the airport forced the hub to shut its doors. 

British Airways will fly eight of its long-haul scheduled flights on Friday night to Johannesburg, Singapore, Riyadh, Cape Town, Sydney via Singapore, and Rio de Janeiro via Buenos Aires, will be able to go to the airport, all other passengers will still be turned away. 

The carrier has already been forced to cancel more than 670 flights on Friday, and has said that the impact could last into the next few days.

At the same time, some airlines have issued waivers for flights out of Heathrow.

That includes United and Delta Air Lines, both of which have issued waivers for travel through March 23 for impacted flights

Original Article 4:05 a.m. EST:

London’s Heathrow Airport will remain closed all day Friday after a fire at an electrical substation left London’s largest airport without power.

The airport is warning travelers of “significant disruptions” that could last for days and have ripple effects on flight schedules across the globe.

“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 p.m. on March 21,” the airport said in an alert Friday morning.

“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

As of 4 a.m. Eastern time, at least 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow could be canceled today, according to FlightAware.com. So far, 422 flights have already been canceled, a number that is expected to grow throughout the day on Friday.

British Airways, which itself has close to 300 flight cancellations due to the fire on Friday, said in a statement that “customers due to travel from Heathrow on Friday are advised not to travel to the airport until further notice.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide more information as soon as we have further details,” it said. The airline has not yet issued a travel waiver.

The fire reportedly started at the North Hyde substation, which is north of the airport, and was brought under control around 6:30 a.m. local time. More than 100 people were evacuated from the area when the fire started Thursday night.

British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Sky News on Friday that the fire also impacted the airport’s backup energy system, which not only delayed the response but will likely cause further flight disruptions.

Heathrow is not only the biggest airport in the U.K. but also the most connected airport in the world, according to OAG.