Police issue update on source of Heathrow Airport blaze - as boss of chaos-hit travel hub claims it will return to '100 per cent operation'

Heathrow has said it will today launch some repatriation flights to bring back passengers diverted to other European destinations.

Officials have reminded passengers not to travel to the airport unless told to by their airline.

A spokesperson said:

Our teams have worked tirelessly since the incident to ensure a speedy recovery. We’re pleased to say we’re now safely able to begin some flights later today. Our first flights will be repatriation flights and relocating aircraft. Please do not travel to the airport unless your airline has advised you to do so.

We will now work with the airlines on repatriating the passengers who were diverted to other airports in Europe. We hope to run a full operation tomorrow and will provide further information shortly.

The UK Civil Aviation says that 'lessons will be learned' from today's disruption.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: 'The Civil Aviation Authority regulates Heathrow from a safety perspective as well as from the point of view of protecting the interests of consumers.

'We require Heathrow to have a resilience plan to cover periods of disruption, and we also require it to work with other parties at the airport to manage and recover from it.

'There will of course be lessons learned from this event. Until we know more about the detail, we cannot comment further.'

The first flight to depart Heathrow following today's fire has taken off.

The British Airways BAW259 flight is on its way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It left at 8.58pm, just 40 minutes after its expected departure time.

The flight is one of the eight long-haul routes the airline announced were set to leave Heathrow on Friday evening.

Heathrow was eerily quiet this morning after the fire froze all flights from taking off or landing at the London airport.

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye apologised to travellers impacted by Friday's fire. He said the power outage was 'as big as it gets'

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are not treating today's fire which has caused travel mayhem as suspicious.

Commander Simon Messinger, who is leading the Met Police response to the incident, said there 'remains no indication of any foul play'.

'The investigation into the cause of the fire remains in its early stages. After initial assessment, we are not treating this incident as suspicious, although inquiries do remain ongoing.

'Due to the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are leading our inquiries into this matter.

He added: 'Officers will continue to work alongside colleagues on the investigation, but as we have stated above, at this stage, there remains no indication of any foul play.'

The London Fire Brigade have said the fire at the electricity substation which shut the airport down is 'believed to be non-suspicious'.

An investigation behind the chaos will be focused on 'electrical distribution equipment'.

In a statement, London Fire Brigade Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Smith said:

'The MPS has confirmed that the fire is believed to be non-suspicious. LFB’s investigation will now focus on the electrical distribution equipment.'

The first flight to land following today's fire was a BA plane from nearby Gatwick Airport

Passengers on Qantas flights to Heathrow from Singapore and Perth on Friday were diverted to Paris before taking buses to London, the airline said.

One traveller, Joshua Richardson, was diverted to Paris from Perth at 4am today.

He arrived in Heathrow after travelling for over 32 hours in total, still needing to get to Oxford.

The 31-year-old said: 'We first found out because the in-flight entertainment changed from Heathrow to Paris, and people were like, what’s going on?

'The pilot said Heathrow had lost power – the only place we could divert was Paris.

'We had to circle Paris for a bit, and you could see other planes circling too.

'There’s going to be some stories of people being messed up by this, so I won’t complain. All I am is tired and cranky.'

Restrictions on overnight flights have been temporarily lifted to help ease congestion following the closure of Heathrow Airport.

There is a yearly limit of 5,800 night-time take-offs and landings between the hours of 11.30pm and 6am to cap the noise the airport can make.

The Department of Transport has announced these will be paused.

A British Airways plane, the first following today's fire, landed at Heathrow shortly after 6pm.

Flight BAW35JG from nearby Gatwick Airport landed just after 6pm UK time.

Passenger have arrived at the west London airport as some flights are set to take off.

British Airways earlier told travellers on eight flights to head to Heathrow from 5pm.

Hotels near Heathrow have been hiking their prices piling further misfortune on disrupted travellers.

One hotel by Heathrow was tonight charging a whopping £1,000 for a standard room for two people.

The price listed for the North Avenue Guest House on Booking.com is staggeringly higher than the £54 it would cost you to stay next Friday instead - a difference of £946.

This also means a room tonight is 1,850 per cent of the price next Friday.

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said he expects the airport to be back to '100% operation' on Saturday and that it should be operating as a 'normal' day.

'[Passengers] should come to the airport as they normally would. There's no reason to come earlier,' he said.

Thomas Woldbye, chief executive of Heathrow Airport, said the fire caused a power loss equivalent to that of a 'mid-size city'.

'This is unprecedented, it's never happened before,' he said.

'We are sorry for the incident - it was caused by outside factors.'

Heathrow Airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye apologised to passengers disrupted by the closure of the airport on Friday but defended its response.

He said: 'This is as big as it gets for our airport' and that 'we cannot guard ourselves 100%'.

He added that they would never dream of shutting the airport down unless they absolutely had to.

'It was a very difficult decision... we could not safely operate the airport.'

He said 'we are coming back fast' and that they expect to be back on 'full operation' tomorrow morning.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has described the airport's closure as an 'absolutely unprecedented situation'

'This is an absolutely unprecedented situation. It's been a situation that has been outside of Heathrow's control. I certainly didn't expect to wake up this morning and see that huge fire happening.

'We need to understand what caused an incident of this magnitude at an electricity substation that is very close to a critical piece of national infrastructure.'

There is no suggestion of foul play in the fire that caused Heathrow to close today, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

She said that counter terrorism police are involved in identifying the cause of the substation fire because it took place next to a critical piece of national infrastructure.

'The counter terrorism command has specific capabilities and capacities that mean that they are used to conducting investigations at pace, and it's really important that we identify the cause of this quickly.

There are no suggestions at the moment of foul play, but you will appreciate the investigation, keeps an open mind, and our priority is identifying the cause as soon as possible.'

This footage shows drivers pulling over in the street to watch the substation blaze near Heathrow airport.

Dozens of vehicles pulled over on the Haye bypass on March 20, at 11:57pm.

The London fire brigade was called at 23:23pm after receiving 212 calls to a fire in a high voltage substation.

The passerby, who filmed the footage and wants to remain anonymous said:

We saw it from the M4, we were amazed.As we were getting closer, the fire was getting bigger and bigger - it was unbelievable. So many people had pulled over on the side of the road to take pictures and have a look at what was going on.

Watch the video below:

Are you affected by the Heathrow flight chaos? MailOnline has answers to some of your questions about the chaos:

• FLIGHT DELAYS

Delayed passengers could be entitled to free meals and compensation of up to £520 if their flight is disrupted - and this section helps you understand how.

• ASSISTANCE

Airline passengers delayed by two hours or more could be entitled to assistance such as two free phone calls or emails, free meals and refreshments, free hotel accommodation and hotel transfers, according to Which?, outlining the following:

Short-haul - Passengers flying up to 932 miles (1,500km) with a delay time of at least two hours are entitled to assistance.

Medium-haul - Passengers flying between 932 miles (1,500km) and 2,175 miles (3,500km) with a delay time of at least three hours are entitled to assistance.

Long-haul - Passengers flying more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) with a delay time of at least four hours are entitled to assistance.

Delayed passengers who meet the above criteria can contact their airline or approach staff at the airport for further information.

• SEVERE DELAYS

Passengers whose flight has been delayed by more than five hours are 'entitled to choose between being rerouted on a different flight or getting a refund', Which? says.

Passengers can also request flight delay compensation, according to the watchdog, 'if the delay is not due to extraordinary circumstances'. These include bad weather, strikes unrelated to the airline, such as with baggage handlers, acts of terrorism or sabotage, drone disruption and long security queues.

Claims are valid for up to six years after the flight if it flew in or out of the UK, it adds.

• COMPENSATION

Passengers of delayed flights are protected by the Denied Boarding Regulation if their flight departs from the UK or Europe or is operated by a UK or European airline, Which? says.

'If you're travelling with a non-EU based airline flying from a non-EU destination, the airline doesn't have the same duty to look after you,' it adds.

'But you can check the airline's 'conditions of carriage' to see what compensation you are entitled to.'

• HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION

'If your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late, each affected passenger is entitled to claim flight delay compensation,' Which? says.

The total value of compensation depends on the length and distance of the delayed flight as well as the reason for the delay, it adds.

Passengers can make a claim under the EU Denied Boarding Regulation if they meet the criteria, listed in a table by Which?, below.

• HOW MUCH ARE YOU ENTITLED TO?

Short-haul - Passengers flying up to 932 miles (1,500km) who are delayed for more than three hours are entitled to £220, according to Which?

Medium-haul within the EU - Passengers flying more than 932 miles (1,500km) within the EU who are delayed more than three hours are entitled to £350 compensation, the watchdog says.

Medium-haul outside the EU - Passengers flying between 932 miles (1,500km) and 2,175 miles (3,500km) who are delayed more than three hours are entitled to £350 compensation, Which? explains.

Long-haul - Passengers flying more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) are entitled to £260 in compensation if they are delayed between three and four hours, or £520 if they are delayed longer than this, according to the site

Residents evacuated from their homes near Heathrow have told of the moment houses 'shook' as a fire engulfed a local substation - cutting off electricity to the airport and 16,000 homes.

Dramatic videos show flames and smoke billowing into the sky during the inferno, which broke out in the London suburb of Hayes at just after 11.30pm yesterday evening.

Vaneca Sinclair had been about to go to bed when 'suddenly there was this huge bang and the house just shook'. The 64-year-old thought something had crashed into the wall but after opening the front door saw flames.

After running down the street and realising the substation was on fire, she was told by police to return home and grab her belongings before evacuating to a nearby Premier Inn.

• Read more here and watch the video below

The Heathrow shutdown sparked travel chaos across the globe, with tens of thousands of passengers left stranded at airports overseas and dozens of planes from the US, the Caribbean and India turned around in mid-air.

When London Heathrow shut at around 3am, 120 flights were already on their way there, according to Flightradar24. Out of these, 36 were still in the air four hours later as pilots - mainly flying from Asia - scrambled to work out where they could land.

Passengers from as far away as San Francisco, and Perth in Australia were caught in the carnage, with data firm Cirium estimating that 290,000 people who were scheduled to fly to or from the airport will be affected.

BBC weather presenter Simon King revealed his mother had been flying to the UK from Jamaica when her plane was forced to turn around in mid-air because no British airport could take it - with a radar image revealing the dramatic manoeuvre.

Dozens of flights have been diverted to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lyon and other European cities, stranding tens of thousands of people abroad.

Some planes were even forced to turn back and set down in New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Delhi, where Air India has now cancelled all its flights to London. Meanwhile, all 34 flights scheduled from Dublin to Heathrow today have been axed.

• Read more here

Alice Delahunty, president of electricity transmission at the National Grid, has apologised for the power outages caused by the blaze.

Speaking to Sky News, she said the fire had caused 'more knock-on effects that we would expect'.

She said:

I'd like to just start by apologising for the very significant disruption that people are experiencing in the local community, homes nearby, loss of power and also the travel associated with Heathrow. This is a very significant and serious incident and we have been working through the night to bring the fire under control.

She added that there is a back-up transformer near to the fire but engineers are unable to use it at present.

However she insisted 'other options' were being explored.

She went on:

It was a very significant incident and it had more knock-on effects in the area than we would expect for a network incident. So that's why we need to work through this now and we're very focused on getting supplies back as quickly as we can and minimising any further disruption in the area.

Counter terrorism police are leading the investigation into the fire that shut Heathrow amid claims it could be a Russian sabotage attack linked to Vladimir Putin's campaign of disruption.

Defence experts are said to be analysing whether Russia could be linked to the substation blaze which has prompted a response from Russians.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tweeted: 'I'm looking forward to Russia being blamed for the Heathrow fire. What are you waiting for, Starmer?'

And Russian trolls on social media have been particularly vocal.

One post on Kremlin-funded Readovka Telegram channel declared: 'Petrov and Boshirov came to see the cathedral again.'

Another comment said: 'Are Petrov and Boshirov on vacation?' And a third wrote: 'Now Petrov and Boshirov went to see Big Ben. The excursion was a success.'

Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov - real names Anatoliy Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin - were the notorious suspects in the Novichok poisonings of double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018.

The GRU military intelligence officers, who posed as tourists visiting Salisbury Cathedral, are both wanted in Britain for murder and attempted murder.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle has warned passengers the 'unprecedented' closure of Heathrow will affect travellers over the coming days.

In a video message to passengers, he said:

This is an unprecedented situation, and we have not seen a closure of Heathrow of this scale for many years.

Unfortunately, it will have a huge impact on all of our customers flying with us over the coming days.

He added:

We hope that power will be restored as soon as possible. But even when that does happen, this incident will have a substantial impact on our airline and customers for many days to come, with disruption to journeys expected over the coming days.

Mr Doyle said British Airways were due to operate more than 670 flights carrying around 107,000 customers, with similar numbers planned over the weekend.

*this article is available only to Mail+ readers - to subscribe click here*

by Dan Hodges

Hitler’s Luftwaffe couldn’t stop Britain from flying. But apparently the North Hyde Electricity substation at the end of Nestles Avenue could.

Many questions still remain over the closure of one of the planet’s busiest international airports and the global chaos it has precipitated. But a few things are already becoming clear.

The first is that our Government, under the steely stewardship of Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy, doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. Literally. Asked how it was possible a single fire at a single electrical substation in Hayes, west London, could slam shut Britain’s gateway to the world, Miliband replied: ‘It’s too early to answer that question. We don’t know the cause of this fire. It’s obviously an unprecedented event.’

Too early? It may be too soon to ascertain the cause of the fire. But is asking the Energy Secretary to demonstrate a basic understanding of how major components of the British electricity grid actually work really too much to ask?

Read more here:

by Nick Fagge and Martin Robinson

An experienced electrical engineer today blamed the catastrophic failure of an 'oil-filled transformer' for the devastating sub-station fire that has shut down Heathrow Airport and embarrassed Britain.

Tom Watters, who has worked on critical infrastructure around the world, told MailOnline the crucial substation powering Heathrow and west London contains 'very old' equipment and blamed a 'lack of investment' for the crisis.

The substation fire in Hayes involved 25,000 litres of cooling oil igniting, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said.

MailOnline can also reveal that a report for London Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2022 identified major problems with the electricity supply system in the Heathrow area due to a lack of capacity. It warned that the North Hyde substation, which exploded into flames last night, has been running at 106.2 per cent.

Electrical engineer Mr Watters, director of Sanguine Impact Investments, told MailOnline: 'An oil filled transformer has obviously failed and caused the massive fire.

'This looks like a very old transformer and it's surprising that such an old piece of critical equipment was still in service. I assume a lack of investment is the reason.

• Read the full story here

This is the moment an American Airlines pilot announced the plane would be returning back to a US airport because of a fire near Heathrow which resulted in a significant power outage.

According to the filmer, the flight departed from Charlotte, North Carolina after 7pm ET (midnight UK time) only to turn around over the Atlantic.

Many flights returned to their departing airports or were diverted elsewhere as a result of the blaze.

Watch the footage below:

Heathrow's empty runway

The financial costs of Heathrow closing for an entire day could stretch to more than £50 million, according to aviation consultant Philip Butterworth-Hayes.

Several experts have estimated that the cost of the incident for the airlines and the airport, which handles some 230,000 passengers a day, would total tens of millions of pounds.

Mr Butterworth-Hayes has put the figure could eventually stretch to 'more than £50 million' and added disruption could last up to eight days before it is business as usual at the airport.

Independent airline analyst John Strickland added: 'It's a massive impact in lost revenues and disruption costs, primarily for the airlines (because of) all the follow-on costs involved in putting people in hotels, refunds, re-bookings etc.'

by Mark Duell

US television presenters reacted with incredulity at how a single fire had shut down Heathrow Airport for the whole day today, with two declaring: 'What a mess!'

Reacting to the blaze on Fox News this morning, host Ainsley Earhardt said from the Fox and Friends studio: 'What a mess, Friday and Spring Break.' And reporter Greg Palkot, on the ground at Heathrow, replied: 'You got it right, what a mess is correct.'

CNN presenter Isabel Rosales on the network's Early Start programme also appeared to be shocked by the disruption, telling viewers: 'What a major headache. So many questions that need to be answered and reflection that needs to happen on how a single substation could take out the back-up power source of such a critical airport.'

Read more here:

The National Grid has just confirmed an 'interim' solution has been found to restore power to Heathrow.

In a statement, the company said it had 'reconfigured' its network to restore power to affected homes including 'parts of Heathrow airport'.

The PA News agency is reporting lights are back on in the main building and the lifts in the multi-storey car park are working again.

This aerial image shows white smoke billowing from the electricity substation that supplies power to Heathrow airport.

Seventy firefighters were fighting flames at the height of the blaze in Hayes, West London, when it broke out around 11:30pm last night.

In its latest update, London Fire Brigade said the fire was brought under control at around 8am but 10% of the substation remains alight.

The cause of the fire is being probed by police with the Met Police's counter-terror command leading the investigation.

Eurostar said it is adding extra capacity to its trains between London and Paris to assist airline passengers affected by Heathrow's closure.

It will operate two additional services in each direction on Friday.

They will have standard-class seating only, with an approximate capacity of 882 passengers per train.

It comes two weeks after all Eurostar services between London and Paris were cancelled following the discovery of an unexploded bomb near Gare du Nord station.

Power at Heathrow airport should be restored 'in hours', according to a source at the National Grid.

The BBC is reporting an insider at the Grid has said it's too soon to say exactly when supplies will be back but that they should return this afternoon at some point.

Heathrow said it does not have clarity' on when power may be restored.

Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was 'reassured' Heathrow was working to reopen the airport as soon as possible following talks with boss Thomas Woldbye.

She said:

This morning, I spoke with Heathrow airport's chief executive to hear the latest on the unprecedented power outage and I am reassured they're working tirelessly to reopen the airport as soon as possible.

I would like to thank everyone involved in responding to this situation - particularly the emergency workers who have worked to contain the fire and keep everyone safe. I appreciate how disruptive this situation is for passengers, but until they hear otherwise the advice remains to avoid travelling to Heathrow.

by Richard Lemmer and Isaac Crowson

Cara O’Connor, 31 and from County Kerry, said she’s been left ‘devastated’ by the travel chaos at Heathrow - as it means her mother in law, sister in law, and two of her best friends may not be able to attend her hen party in England this weekend.

The stranded group were due to fly from Dublin to Heathrow this morning - but their flight was cancelled and now they are scrambling to secure a flight from an airport near Knock in the Republic of Ireland.

Bride-to-be Cara told MailOnline:

I’m absolutely devastated. They are stuck in Dublin at the moment. They booked the day and the weekend off ages ago - and then all of a sudden they can’t get here? It’s a disaster.

We don’t know if they will make it. The only way the airport could make it up to us if they get them here as soon as possible - or get us all a private jet home.

Sister and maid of honour Lisa (far right), added: 'I have every organised but I am now very stressed.'

by James Tapsfield

Airline shares plunged today as the Heathrow fire caused carnage for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Stock in British Airways parent group IAG was down more than 4 per cent in early trading as markets absorbed the impact of the chaos. It latest stabilised, but was still around 1.5 per cent in the red.

Analysts pointed to the huge compensation costs for travellers, which could wipe huge sums off earnings.

EasyJet shares fell over 2 per cent before clawing back some ground, while Germany's Lufthansa - which also operates flights out of Heathrow - lost more than 1 per cent.

Read more here:

Heathrow has insisted the airport's back-up energy systems worked 'as expected' when the substation fire started after MP Richard Tice claimed they had 'completely failed' after becoming compliant with net zero.

Mr Tice said Heathrow had replaced diesel generators with a biomass one which was unable to power the airport following the substation fire.

In a statement, Heathrow said the back-up system worked 'as expected' adding it wasn't possible to provide all the energy needed to run operations safely.

We have multiple sources of energy into Heathrow. But when a source is interrupted, we have back-up diesel generators and uninterruptable power supplies in place, and they all operated as expected. Our back-up systems are safety systems which allow us to land aircraft and evacuate passengers safely, but they are not designed to allow us to run a full operation.

As the busiest airport in Europe, Heathrow uses as much energy as a small city, therefore it's not possible to have back-up for all of the energy we need to run our operation safely.

We are implementing a process which will allow us to redirect power to the affected areas, but this is a safety critical process which takes time, and maintaining safety remains our priority, so we have taken the decision to close the airport for today.

The fire at an electricity substation which triggered a significant power outage at Heathrow leading to the airport's closure has already caused huge disruption with no signs of immediate relief.

If you're just joining us, we have been providing live updates on the worldwide flight chaos with tens of thousands stranded in airports abroad with dozens of planes from US, the Caribbean and India turned around mid-air.

Here's what you need to know this afternoon:

• Downing Street has said it expects 'significant direct disruption' in days ahead with Sir Keir Starmer receiving regular briefings on events at the airport
• The Metropolitan Police said its Counter Terrorism Command was leading the investigation with detectives keeping an 'open mind' over the cause of the blaze at the electricity substation in Hayes
• London Fire Brigade said the fire involved a transformer comprising of 25,000 litres of cooling oil fully alight in an update earlier with the fire still burning although flames are under control
• Furious travellers have accused hotels of 'profiting on people's misfortune' as prices surged by up to £946 following the airport's closure
• Residents evacuated from their homes near Heathrow have told of the moment houses 'shook' as a fire engulfed the substation - cutting off electricity to thousands of homes

Reform MP Richard Tice has claimed that the drive for Net Zero led to the complete shutdown of Heathrow Airport.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Tice said the airport had changed its backup systems to be compliant with Net Zero - the target to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

They had got rid of their diesel generators and had moved towards a biomass generator that was designed not to completely replace the grid but work alongside it. Their net zero compliant backup system has completely failed in its core function at the first time of asking.

We know diesel generators work as backup systems. If this is correct, and I have no reason to believe it’s not, they are guilty of gross negligence of the highest order.

MailOnline has asked Heathrow to comment on Mr Tice's claims.

The closure of Heathrow Airport has thrown travel plans into chaos for people across the world.

Around 220,000 people were due to travel through Heathrow today and the chaos from the complete closure will rumble on over the weekend and into next week because aircraft and passengers are now in the wrong place all over the world.

It is the biggest disruption for UK aviation since the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud grounded and diverted flights in April and May 2010, costing airlines and its customers an estimated £130million every day.

Our reporter Marti Stelling answers questions on what happens if your flight is diverted to another country:

As we await further details about the scale and nature of the disruption at Heathow which Downing Street expects will be 'significant' for the coming days, let's remind ourselves of some of the travellers caught up in the chaos.

MailOnline has been to Heathrow and spoken with several stranded travellers and those forced to dip into their pockets to get themselves home.

Dr Don Cardy, 65, and his wife Sue, 60, told us they had to pay £400 for an Uber to Manchester.

Our car is parked in Manchester Airport ready to pick up and drive,' Dr Cardy told MailOnline.

'It's been a nightmare to be honest. Nobody could make plans until we had our baggage. It was a mess from the baggage hall and the captain down.'

Ruben Cortez, 44, from Portland in Oregon arrived from South Africa after carrying out missionary work in the country.

'We just got an announcement saying we would not be landing in Heathrow and we would be landing… I don't even know where we are at,' he said.

'We were told the airplane would be here until further notice and that we had to get off the plane and figure it out.'

When asked if they were going to fly from another neighbouring airport, such as Luton, he replied: 'Well, that's what we are trying to find out, we can't get them on the phone or anything. I've been away from home for a while, so I just want to get back to the family.'

While Manuel, a 35-year-old Italian, had been working in Johannesburg and was struggling to find a way home to Milan.

'We were going to Milan; this was just a transitional flight. We were coming back from a job in Johannesburg,' he said.

'It's been a little bit stressful, we have something booked in Italy and that is my problem,' he added: 'We have had no help at all, nothing.

Questions about how the fire near Heathrow caused so much disruption will need to be answered, Downing Street said, but insisted dealing with the incident was the current priority.

Asked if there would be an inquiry into how the fire at a single electricity substation had caused such disruption, a No 10 spokesman said:

There are questions to answer. We expect those questions to be answered but our clarity right now is on this incident being appropriately dealt with.

There is a fire still burning. So, there will be a time for that, but at the moment the priority is to deal with the incident.

The spokesman said it 'wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect checks on resilience' are being carried out at other major airports.

Downing Street would not say whether it is confident Heathrow Airport will be fully reopened by Saturday.

Asked whether this would be the case, a No 10 spokesman said: 'Well, it's clearly a fast-moving situation."'

The fire is still burning and I'm aware that the airport has announced a complete closure until midnight tonight as a result of the situation.

"It will be for emergency services and Heathrow to update on timescales for when this situation will be resolved. We do expect there will be significant direct disruption in the hours and days ahead.

There was a 'cross-government call' on Friday morning to deal with the immediate aftermath of the fire, the spokesman said.

He added:

The Department for Transport is working closely with Heathrow Airport, Nats (National Air Traffic Services) and all key operators to understand the situation and ensure a quick resolution so that the airport can reopen and flights resume as quickly as possible, and clearly we will do everything we can to support those affected and get things moving again.

Let's recap some of the most dramatic pictures of the day as a fire which broke out as an electricity substation resulted in the closure of Heathrow airport today.

The blaze began last night and knocked out power to the airport and tens of thousands of nearby homes, some of which have yet to see supplies fully restored.

It has caused major disruption for travellers in the UK and across the world with thousands of flights cancelled and diverted.

The fire broke out at North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes

Drivers are warned Heathrow was closed on the M25 this morning

Terminals usually bustling with people remain empty and without power

The fire was brought under control this morning but is not fully extinguished

by Richard Lemmer and Isaac Crowson

Heathrow's closure has not affected the schedule at London Luton airport, according to staff, but nevertheless some passengers admitted they were 'panicked' about their own flights.

A representative from London Luton Airport said there had been ‘no impact on operations’ at the airport following Heathrow’s closure due to a power outage in the early hours of this morning. The representative said that at present no affected fights were being diverted to Luton.

Passengers who had planned to fly from Heathrow had travelled to Luton for alternate flights, according to staff at the main passenger help desk at the airport.

Meanwhile passengers set to fly from Luton said the chaos at Heathrow had left them concerned that their flights would be disrupted.

'One hundred percent was I worried this morning,' said Caroline McCann, a waitress travelling from Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

She said:

We’re going to a wedding in Hatfield, so we were worried our flights wound be changed. We thought this airport was going to be busy, but it’s been good here - it doesn’t seem to be affected.

Nicole Keeley, a care manager who flew from the Knock in the Republic of Ireland to Luton to visit family, said she had ‘panicked’ this morning when she saw the chaos at Heathrow.

She said:

I thought maybe our flight would be cancelled. Hopefully we will be okay, we’re flying back home from here.

Air traffic control provider Nats said many flights scheduled to land at Heathrow were unable to use other UK airports because of their 'limited capacity' to accommodate diversions.

In a statement, it said:

We have been working closely with Heathrow Airport and with airlines to manage the disruption caused by the closure of the airport today.

We have well-rehearsed plans in place which in the early hours of this morning included a requirement for aircraft to either turn back or divert to a non-UK airport, as well as stopping other flights at their point of departure. This forms part of the aviation industry mass diversion plan.

While some flights were diverted to Gatwick and Manchester, other jets were rerouted to European cities including Paris and Frankfurt.

Nats added:

There was limited capacity at other UK airports to accommodate diversions, particularly of wide-bodied aircraft, which we have been communicating with our airline customers, and has resulted in many flights diverting to northern Europe.

Scheduled flights to other UK airports are unaffected.

Heathrow is the UK's largest airport, with more than 83.9 million passengers travelling through its terminals in 2024.

Here are some key figures about the airport and the impact of its closure following a fire at an electrical substation.

• 229,000 passengers travel through Heathrow on an average day.
• 1,357 flights have been disrupted on Friday, including 679 arrivals and 678 departures.
• 120 flights were already in the air when the closure was announced.
• More than nine in 10 passengers using Heathrow are travelling to or from other countries. Of the 83.9 million passengers recorded at the airport in 2024, 78.8 million were using international services - 28.1 million for services with other EU countries and 50.7 million for non-EU countries. Domestic passenger traffic accounted for 5.0 million, or 6% of the total.
• Heathrow handled a total of 482,143 aircraft last year: 479,506 passenger aircraft and 2,637 cargo aircraft, Civil Aviation Authority data shows. This was the equivalent of around 1,317 aircraft a day.
• By comparison, the next busiest airport in the UK, Gatwick, handled 265,608 aircraft, or around 726 a day.
• The fire at the substation left 100,000 homes without power at the peak of the outage, later reduced to 4,000. 150 people were evacuated from surrounding properties and 200 emergency calls were made.

The Metropolitan Police said its Counter Terrorism Command was leading the investigation into the fire at an electrical substation in west London 'given the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure.'

Heathrow Airport was forced to close on Friday after being impacted by the power outage at the North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes.

A spokesperson for the Met said there was 'no indication of foul play' but detectives 'retain an open mind' over the cause.

The spokesperson said:

We are working with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation. While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time.

Given the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries.

This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist is progressing this investigation at pace to minimise disruption and identify the cause

Hotel prices have surged by up to £946 after Heathrow Airport was forced to close after an electrical substation fire.

Furious travellers have hit out at hospitality firms for 'profiting off people's misfortune' as costs skyrocketed on Friday.

One hotel close to the airport, North Avenue Guest House, was tonight charging £1,000 for a standard room for two people, compared to £54 next Friday.

While it will cost you £555 to stay at Radisson Red London Heathrow tonight, compared to £132 next Friday, according to prices on Booking.com.

Holiday Inn London Heathrow is charging £569 for standard room tonight but just £89 on March 28.

Read the full story here:

Sir Keir Starmer has now spoken about Heathrow for the first time by declaring he recognises the 'distress and disruption' caused by the fire.

The Prime Minister said he is receiving regular updates from the scene.

Watch the London Fire Brigade press conference below

London Fire Brigade has provided an update on the electricity substation fire which involved a transformer comprising of 25,000 litres of cooling oil fully alight.

Firefighters said the blaze has created a major hazard because of the 'still live high voltage equipment'.

LFB said 67,000 households were left without power and currently 5,000 remain without any supplies.

There remains no power to Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 or Terminal 4.

The fire brigade said:

This remains a very visible and significant incident, and our firefighters worked tirelessly in challenging and very hazardous conditions overnight to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible. As of the most recent update approximately 10% remains alight and we are working closely with SSE to safely resolve the incident.

London Fire Brigade deputy commissioner Jonathan Smith said 29 people were safely evacuated from properties near to the substation fire.

A further 150 people were evacuated to a rest centre following the incident.

Fire safety and fire investigation officers are working with scientific advisers and the Metropolitan Police to investigate the cause of the fire, Mr Smith told broadcasters.

He added:

I would like to conclude by taking this opportunity to thank firefighters and control officers for their courage and professionalism to bring this incident under control, in what were very challenging circumstances.

The fire at an electrical substation which has caused the shutdown at Heathrow airport has also resulted in six schools keeping its doors closed today.

Hillingdon Council has announced that a 200-metre cordon has been established with 150 people evacuated because of a ' significant amount of smoke'.

An update on the council's website said that Nestles Avenue Early Years Centre, Pinkwell Children's Centre, Pinkwell Primary School, Dr Triplett's C of E Primary School and The Global Academy were all shut.

Botwell House Catholic Primary School was closed but will reopen this afternoon.

The M4 is closed between junction three and four while local bus services are subject to diversions and cancellations, it added

The Piccadilly Line is running as normal but not stopping at Terminal 4.

The Elizabeth Line is not running between Hayes and Harlington and Heathrow while the Heathrow Express service is suspended.

It is unclear how quickly flights will resume at Heathrow once it reopens.

Heathrow has announced it is closed until 11.59pm, but the Government restricts the number of flights that are allowed to take off or land at the airport between 11.30pm and 6am each day.

The airport’s website states:

Sometimes planes need to operate in the night period when they have not been scheduled to do so. This could be for a number of reasons such as delays that have built up during the day or for a technical fault with an aircraft that needs to be repaired.

There is always a delicate balance to be struck as to whether a flight should be allowed at night, considering the effects on local communities, passengers and the airline network.

Passengers are still arriving at Heathrow this morning despite the airport closure which remains in place until at least midnight.

Elvina Quaison was hoping to fly from Heathrow to Dubai on Friday afternoon and travelled to the airport after being told by British Airways her flight was still going ahead.

Ms Quaison, who lives in London, was travelling to celebrate her niece's 10th birthday.

She told the PA news agency:

I did see on the news everything that had happened and the airport was closed. I'm flying out to Dubai today. My flight's meant to be at 12.40pm and I'd been checking the news, the websites and my emails. I'm flying with BA and they had said that we should keep an eye on our 'manage my booking' and it would give us an update as to what was happening with my flight.

So I got a message (at 8am) to say that my flight was departing and that I can go ahead as normal. So I've come to the airport to make the flight which I was told was flying today and I can't get to the actual airport ... I'm just about to call to see what to do.

It comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan has told people not to travel to Heathrow today under any circumstances.

Counter terrorism police are now investigating an electrical substation fire that has shut London Heathrow Airport for the whole of today amid claims it could be a Russian sabotage attack linked to Vladimir Putin's campaign of disruption.

More than 1,300 flights to and from the UK's busiest airport will be impacted today due to its closure following a fire at the nearby North Hyde electrical substation.

Thousands of homes were left without power with more than 100 people evacuated after a transformer at the substation caught fire as a huge explosion was heard.

Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

They allege that the disruption campaign is an extension of President Putin's war, intended to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine - although the Kremlin has denied carrying out sabotage efforts against the West.

Read the full story here by Mark Duell, Elena Salvoni, James Tapsfield and Will Stewart

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has now released a statement urging passengers not to travel to Heathrow today under any circumstances.

Mr Khan said he understood the closure would be 'hugely frustrating' for thousands expecting to travel as well as those whose power supplies were disrupted.

Here is his full statement on X.

Coach operator National Express announced it has suspended all services to and from Heathrow until 11.59pm because of the airport's closure.

It said:

Customers are advised not to travel to the airport today. Services to London Gatwick Airport, London Stansted Airport and London Luton Airport will operate as normal.

National Express is proactively contacting customers who have already booked to travel to London Heathrow Airport today and is offering free amendments for those who are affected.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, predicted that disruption from Heathrow's closure will continue for several days.

She said:

An incident like this at one of the world's busiest airports will have a very significant knock-on impact on all travel for the next few days. Of course, the priority for everyone is safety and the airport and the airlines will be working hard today to make sure the area is safe, and that they can resume operations as soon as possible.

Friday is typically the busiest day for travel, with people returning from business trips, going on holiday or visiting friends and family. London airports would have been busy today already and this incident will exacerbate it further.

The closure of Britain's busiest airport has caused huge disruption for passengers flying to and from the UK today with many travelling over the weekend now fearing the worst.

But while Heathrow is out of action, some other airlines and airports have stepped in to help some of those stranded by today's closure.

EasyJet, which does not operate at Heathrow, said it will use larger than planned aircraft on key routes on Friday and over the weekend to accommodate disrupted passengers.

Several flights between the UK and Milan, Amsterdam, Paris, Munich and Madrid will have A320 aircraft with capacity for 186 passengers, instead of A319 aircraft which can only carry 156 passengers.

While Ryanair said it is organising eight "rescue flights" between London Stansted and Ireland for passengers affected by the closure.

The airline said in a statement:

Ryanair will operate four extra flights between Dublin and Stansted on Friday afternoon as well as four extra flights on Saturday morning. These flights can be booked on http://Ryanair.com from 9.30am this morning.

Shannon Airport in Co Clare accepted six diversions from Toronto, Atlanta, Bridgetown Barbados, Boston, Orlando and Newark.

And Gatwick has so far welcomed seven diverted flights from locations including Singapore, Johannesburg, Lagos, Cape Town and Doha which were originally destined for Heathrow

by Mark Duell

Vladimir Putin's disruption campaign could be linked to the electrical substation fire that has shut London Heathrow Airport for the whole day, experts claimed today.

Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

They allege that the disruption campaign is an extension of President Putin's war, intended to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine - although the Kremlin has denied carrying out sabotage efforts against the West.

Now, experts are analysing whether Russia could be linked to the Heathrow fire, which is affecting 679 flights scheduled to land and 678 departures from the hub.

Security expert Will Geddes, director and founder of the International Corporate Protection Group, told MailOnline: 'If I was a foreign hostile party and I wanted to disrupt one of the busiest airports in the world, cause international embarrassment, create many, many question marks, I would target something like a substation.

Read the full story here:

Scotland fans celebrate after a 1-0 win in Athens last night

Scotland's football fans are among those caught up in the Heathrow disruption with many of the Tartan Army stranded in Greece following the country's Nations League play-off last night in Athens.

BBC reporter Thomas Mackintosh said he was among the 'fortunate' supporters to board a flight to Gatwick after learning his original flight was cancelled at 5:30am this morning.

But others were looking at more complicated journeys back to the UK via different European cities including Istanbul.

He told the BBC:

For us, it meant having to check-in with another airline, then go through passport control and security again. The layout of Athens airport is one where you must clear passport control as the next step after you first scan your boarding pass at departures.

So, we had to get another stamp on our passport and a little mark from the border control officer to signal our situation.

We know of a few other Tartan Army friends who have tried to get flights back to Scotland via Dublin, Milan, and Rome. I’ve even heard Istanbul mentioned - so it gives you an idea of the fresh travel plans people are having to draw up and fork out for.

Passengers are being denied entry to the airport this morning

Passengers stranded at Heathrow are complaining the instructions on the airport's website are 'confusing' as they spoke of their frustration this morning.

One man, who was expecting to fly to Miami for his son's first day at university, said he travelled to Terminal 5 on foot with his suitcase only to be told not to enter.

He said:

The website shows 'flight on time'. They only have a message not to come here, but to check updates.Updates are showing 'flight on time', but nobody is allowed to go in. So, it's so confusing. We would not have come had the website said, 'flight cancelled'.

Andrea Sri, whose brother Andrew, his wife, and his three children were expected to fly back to Dallas in Texas, where they live, said:

On the British Airways' website, it says their flight is still scheduled for 12.03. All the other flights to Dallas were cancelled but their particular one just said delayed, so we just thought 'maybe, there's a chance. But we've come here and the police said no.

Ms Sri, from Greenwich in London, added: 'It was a waste of time. Very confusing.'

All 34 flights between Dublin Airport and Heathrow on Friday have been cancelled, officials in Ireland have now confirmed.

Graeme McQueen, media relations manager at Dublin Airport Authority, said there were 17 outbound and 17 inbound flights scheduled for today.

He warned passengers looking to travel between the airports over the weekend could also be affected.

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.

Singapore Airlines has announced a series of flight cancellations and diversions as a result of Heathrow's closure.

Four flights scheduled to take off from London today have been cancelled while one set to leave Singapore has also been grounded.

One flight which had already departed from Singapore will return to the country and two flights bound for London have been diverted to Frankfurt and Paris.

The full information was put out by the airline on its X page.

Local residents in Hayes have told how they saw a 'bright flash of white' from the electrical substation fire before hearing a 'massive explosion'.

London Fire Brigade were called to the substation on Nestles Avenue shortly before 11:30pm and remain on the site although the fire is now under control.

Mathew Muirhead, 42, was working a night shift on Thursday when he noticed smoke rising from the substation.

Speaking to the PA News agency, he said:

We were stood outside our branch in Hayes and my colleague noticed smoke coming over the trees. It was 23.30 when we saw it, we were heading to West Drayton, so we went to check it out, we heard the sirens as we were headed to Bulls Bridge roundabout. We saw a bright flash of white and all the lights in town went out.

My wife rang me and told me our electric was out - I found out a few hours later that Heathrow was completely shut down.

A local resident, who did not want to be named, said she heard a 'massive explosion' just before midnight.

All the power went off, she said, adding that she could see a 'huge fire' through a front window.

'It just smelled like burning,' she said, adding that it was difficult to work out where exactly the fire was.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has suggested the closure of Heathrow as a result of a fire at a nearby substation makes the airport look 'quite vulnerable'.

Mr Miliband was asked on Good Morning Britain whether he thinks there should be more airports given people have found themselves stranded.

He said:

What it makes me believe is we've got to understand why this happened, and we've got to work out what the lessons are for the resilience of our infrastructure.

He said that National Grid told him they had not seen 'anything like the scale' of what happened with the 'seriousness' of the fire. He added:

But it makes Heathrow look quite vulnerable and therefore we've got to learn lessons, as I say, about not just Heathrow but how we protect our major infrastructure.

From left to right: Chloe, Ashley, Monisola and friend

by Shannon McGuigan

A group of four friends had their Caribbean cruise dream blighted after Heathrow was closed due to a blaze last night.

Chloe, Ashley, Monisola, and their friend, who didn’t wish to be named, had been planning their trip which would begin in Miami and voyage around the picturesque paradise of the Caribbean since January.

They had originally paid around £1,600 for the entire trip but that has since doubled after they rushed to book flights from Gatwick after they were informed at 7.23am by Virgin Atlantic about the incident.

Now they are concerned if they are going to make to the Floridian city in time to be able to enjoy their hard-earned holiday with Virgin Voyages.

Monisola said:

We need to be at Miami for a certain time otherwise we are going to miss our cruise. We need to be in Miami tomorrow afternoon and cruise lines are really strict - if you don’t get there, they will leave you behind, so we land in the next 24 hours. So we have been checking flights, checking flights, and also we didn’t get notified by the airline until this morning, I found out from the Uber driver and our flight is at 9.40am’.

The communication was really bad, they could have emailed earlier because the fire has been going on since midnight last night. ‘If we had gotten a notification or an email at 11pm at night we would’ve been able to rebook out flight.

The girls explained they paid an additional £1,000 each for tickets one way to Miami in the hopes of making it to their dream cruise. This four-figure sum didn’t include food, drinks or any additional perks on the flight.

Monisola added:

We’ve paid £1,000 for this flight but we don’t know if our return flight to Heathrow is going to get cancelled or not. If it was just missing a day in Miami, that’s not as bad, but it’s missing the cruise.

Here's what you need to know this morning after a fire in West London widespread disruption at Britain's busiest airport which has been closed all day:

• More than 1,300 flights to and from Heathrow Airport will be disrupted after a fire broke out at an electricity substation in Hayes, two miles from Heathrow, just before 11:30pm last night
• Heathrow has suffered a significant power outage with officials deciding to close the airport until at least 11:59pm tonight with flight disruption expected to last well into the weekend
• Heathrow confirmed 120 flights were already in the air when the closure was announced meaning jets had to be diverted and rerouted to other airports
• Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the 'unprecedented' fire appeared to disable a back-up generator as well as the substation as he admitted it would make Heathrow look 'quite vulnerable'
• Over 100,000 homes were left without power overnight but has now been reduced to around 4,000. A National Grid spokesperson said the fire had damaged equipment and they were 'working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible'
• London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were still on the scene at Nestles Avenue in Hayes just before 6am with part of a transformer still alight
• Around 150 people have been evacuated from surrounding properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution

To read more, here's a link to our main story:

At least 1,357 flights have been cancelled, diverted or delayed and people are being advised not to make journeys to the airport as it remains closed until 11.59pm today.

Online flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the closure would affect the scheduled 679 arrivals at and the 678 planned departures from Heathrow today.

Some planes already on their way to London managed to land at other UK airports.

British Airways, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines, Air Canada and Delta have suffered the largest number of cancellations and diversions.

For a full list of flight cancellations read our story here:

Social media users have mocked Sky News after it inadvertently reported the Special Air Service had cancelled 12 'round trips' to Heathrow after apparently confusing it with Scandinavian Airlines, also known as SAS.

Viewers pointed out the error on X during the broadcaster's coverage of the Heathrow closure this morning.

Budget airline Ryanair has announced it has launched eight 'rescue flights' for passengers affected by the Heathrow closure.

It has said the flights between Stansted and Dublin on Friday and Saturday will be available from 9:30am.

Gatwick Airport has said flights will operate as normal today

London's alternative airports Gatwick, Stansted and Luton can expect busier than normal days today as passengers rearrange their flights which have been cancelled as a result of the fire this morning.

London Gatwick has already confirmed it is running a full operation at both its North and South terminals this morning while Luton and Stansted have not indicated a change to their schedules.

For the latest departure information at the three airports click here

• Gatwick
• Stansted
• Luton

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has told LBC there is 'no suggestion of foul play' surrounding the fire that has resulted in the closure of Heathrow Airport today.

The blaze broke out at an electricity substation in Hayes, around two miles from the airport, in the early hours this morning.

The blaze has knocked out power to the airport and surrounding homes.

Mr Miliband said:

We've got to get power restored as quickly as possible and Heathrow opened as quickly as possible. But the truth it's going to take time to unwind the disruption for obvious reasons. There's no suggestion there is any foul play.

On a typical weekday, around 220,000 people would travel through Heathrow to an array of destinations across the world.

But Britain's busiest airport stands desolate this morning after a major fire at a nearby electricity substation has resulted in the closure of the airport for the entire day.

Here are some pictures taken this morning:

Are you one of the many tens of thousands of passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted today as a result of the Heathrow closure.

If yes, then travel experts are on hand to remind you of what help you can receive although travellers are unlikely to be compensated because of the circumstances surrounding the fire.

Nicky Kelvin, editor-at-large at The Points Guy, told Mailonline the fire had caused an 'extraordinary situation.'

He reminds passengers that under normal circumstances, if they are delayed for more than two hours on a short-haul flight, airlines must provide them with support such as food and drink and reimbursement for phone calls.

If they are delayed overnight, airlines will provide them with accommodation and transport to a hotel or home.

He added:

Usually if travellers arrive at their destination more than three hours late, they are entitled to compensation, however as these are extraordinary circumstances and out of the airlines' control, this type of compensation will very likely not be payable.

Consumer experts from Which? have warned passengers whose flights have been cancelled as a result of the Heathrow closure will not be entitled to compensation but can ask their airline for assistance.

Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said travellers should refrain from travelling to Heathrow today but instead keep in touch with their airline.

He said:

If your flight is cancelled you won’t be entitled to compensation as these events will be considered an extraordinary circumstance, but you will be entitled to assistance from your airline, including overnight accommodation if needed.

Passengers will have the choice of being rerouted or accepting a refund, and if you opt for the former your airline is obliged to get you on a new flight as soon as possible, including with rival carriers from alternative airports.

If you instead accept a refund, be aware that your airline will have no further duty of care to you and you’ll need to make your own arrangements.It’s also worth checking the terms of your travel insurance to see if you are able to recoup any other expenses you may have incurred as a result of this incident, such as car hire or airport parking fees.

There have been no casualties or anyone treated for injuries at the scene of the fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, the London Ambulance Service said.

Hazardous area response teams and an incident response officer are currently on the scene, they said.

'We are currently supporting emergency services colleagues at the scene of a fire in Hayes,”' a spokesperson said.

'Please try to avoid the area and, if you live nearby, stay indoors and keep windows closed.'

The huge blaze that broke out at an electrical substation in Hayes is 'now under control', the London Fire Brigade has said.

Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the day to minimise distruption and support the local community.

A probe into the cause of the fire has now also been launched by fire investigators.

It comes after the fire brigade said a transformer remained alight early on Friday morning.

The fire at a substation in Hayes has led to blackouts across much of the west London area.

Around 16,000 residents have reported disruption to their power supply on Friday morning.

A MailOnline graphic reveals just how close the fire was to Heathrow Airport.

The blaze broke out at a substation in Hayes, less than two miles away from the travel hub.

The fire at the substation in Hayes has left more than 4,900 homes without power. Some 150 people were evacuated from nearby homes.

National Grid says it is 'working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible'.

The Government will be doing everything it can to restore power to Heathrow Airport, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said.

Mr Miliband was asked by Sky News whether a Cobra meeting of senior ministers would be convened to address the matter.

He replied: 'I'm sure the Government will be convening in the most appropriate way.

'I'm not going to anticipate the precise form of that, but I'm already in touch with my colleagues on this issue.

'As I say, I've spoken to the National Grid, who are really at the epicentre of this, and we will be doing everything we can, both to restore power and help the National Grid.

'To do that, and to ensure that the DfT (Department for Transport), and the Government as a whole, plays its part in, as best we can, minimising the disruption to passengers.'

Watch Ed Miliband's interview on BBC Breakfast:

Dozens of passengers have told MailOnline their flights have been affected by the closure at Heathrow this morning.

One, who was on a Emirates flight from Dubai, said the news of the fire broke 90 minutes before they were due to land.

They said they asked a member of the cabin crew what was going on and they replied 'you know more than we do'.

The departure board at Heathrow is giving mixed signals this morning with most flights cancelled.

However, some still say gates are open, inlcuding a Luthhansa flight to Munich scheduled for 7.40am.

Passengers have been told not to come to Heathrow's terminals this morning due to the closure.

A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: 'There will be no delays to Birmingham Airport’s own customers, due to any diverted Heathrow aircraft into BHX.

'Airports regularly take diverts as part of normal operations, and flights inbound to London Heathrow will use multiple airports around the UK, and Ireland, or alternatively may return to their departure airport.

'We will assist with landing any diverted aircraft during the Heathrow closure today and work with those LHR airlines to repatriate their customers upon arrival into Birmingham.'

A British couple stuck in China have 'no idea' how they will get home after their flight was cancelled.

Sharon Towers and her husband told MailOnline they are stranded in the airport as strict immigration policy means they can't check into a hotel.

She said: 'My husband and I are stuck in China!

'We should have taken off at 1pm local time here! Instead we are stuck at the airport with no idea how/when we will get home!

'We can't check in to a hotel because of the strict immigration visa policy, to enter back in to the airport, we need a boarding pass so customs can confirm when we are leaving the country!

'We don't know that, so we cant get a boarding pass to enter back in to the airport!'

Firefighters have been pictured dousing the remainder of the fire that broke out at the substation near Heathrow, causing the airport to shut.

If you are just joining us, part of the transformer at the site was still alight on Friday morning.

No trains will run to and from Heathrow today with major distruption expected, National Rail has said.

The affected routes are:

• Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4. and also between Shenfield / Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 5
• Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5

In the last hour, National Grid has posted on X that the fire at North Hyde substation has 'damaged equipment, leading to a loss of power supply in the area'.

'We are working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible and will provide an update as soon as we can,' it said in a statement.

More than 16,300 homes remain without power and have caused 150 people to be evacuated from nearby homes.

Some 120 flights were in the air when Heathrow announced its closure.

Passengers on those flights are being diverted to other airports in the UK and Europe.

Two flights from Doha and Bahrain have just landd in Frankfurt while a Cathay Pacific service from Hong Kong has diverted to Amsterdam.

London Gatwick has just shared a new statement saying it is offering support by 'accepting diverted flights'.

'Flights are operating from London Gatwick as normal today,' the airport added.

Has YOUR flight been affected? Email [email protected]

Air India has announced it is returning its London-bound AI129 flight to Mumbai.

Another flight - the Al161 from Delhi - is being diverted to Frankfurt, Germany.

All other remaining Air India flights travelling to and from London today have been cancelled.

Flights to London Gatwick remain unaffected, the airline told customers.

'We will update about resumption of operations as soon as we have more information,' the airline said in a statement.

If you're just joining us, British Airways has released its first statement since Heathrow announced its closure.

The airline, which has its main base at Heathrow, warned the closure will have a 'significant impact' on its operation and its customers.

'We're working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond,' the airline said in a statement.

Passengers are being warned not to travel to the airport.

Fireifghters are still at the scene of the blaze at the substation in Hayes, described by the fire brigade as a 'prolonged incident'.

Part of a transformer is still alight and distruption remains ongoing, the London Fire Brigade said in their latest statement.

London Gatwick Airport has shared a new statement confirming that it will 'accept diverted flights as required.

It added that it had already seen seven planes land that were due to arrive in Heathrow.

In its latest update just after 4am, the London Fire Brigade said that half of a transformer within the substation remains alight.

Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are at the scene tackling the fire at the electrical substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes.

Airlines have a strict schedule of where planes and crews have to be at what time for their network to function, but now dozens of carriers will have to reconfigure their plans due to the Heathrow Airport closure.

In addition, airlines will have to find a way to deal with the backlog of passengers.

'It's going to be a chaotic couple of days,' travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt from the Atmosphere Research Group told the Guardian.

Gatwick Airport said it is 'ready to support as required' after the Heathrow Airport closure caused at least 1,351 flights to be diverted.

'We are aware of the situation at Heathrow Airport today and stand ready to support as required,' a Gatwick spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC.

'Flights are operating from London Gatwick as normal today.'

Power firm Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said those 'medically dependent on electricity' in need of support should call the company on 105.

SSEN said about 16,000 homes have been left without power in areas around Heathrow Airport.

FlightRadar24 spokesman Ian Petchenik said that the unplanned closure of Heathrow Airport will disrupt flights all over the world.

'Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world,' he told the Telegraph.

'This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world.'

The flight tracking website said on X: 'Today’s total closure of London-Heathrow will affect at least 1,351 flights to/from LHR.

'That doesn’t include any flights that might be canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position.'

Footage of the blaze shows large clouds of smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters are trying to put out the fire, while videos from inside Heathrow showed the airport lying largely dark amid the power outage.

Flights set to land at Heathrow are already being diverted, but it is currently unclear how many flights are affected.

One of the diverted planes, flight US 146 from Newark, is now set to land in Shannon in Ireland shortly after 5am after the Heathrow Airport closure forced a diversion. It was scheduled to land at Heathrow at 5.55am.

Flights UA901 from San Francisco and EW9462 from Dusseldorf, which were set to land at Heathrow at 7.25am, have also been diverted.

Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: 'This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible.

The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption.'

He added: 'Due to the significant amount of smoke, we strongly advise local residents to keep their windows and doors closed.'

Good morning. If you're just joining us, this is what we know so far about the chaos at Heathrow Airport:

• All flights to and from Heathrow Airport have been cancelled until midnight.
• It follows an fire at a nearby electricity substation - firefighters are still working to tackle the blaze.
• At least 1,351 flights have been cancelled. More than 120 flights were mid-air when the closure was announced with flights being diverted to other UK and European airports.
• There is no electricity at the airport and nearby homes and businesses. More than 150 people have been evacuated.
• Disruption is expected to last until midnight on Friday, but the airport is warning of 'significant disruption' over the weekend.

Have YOU been affected? Email [email protected]

'Around 20 people have been evacuated from neighbouring properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution with around 150 people evacuated.

'The fire is producing a significant amount of smoke and local residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed.

'The Brigade's Control Officers have taken almost 200 calls to the fire. The first call was received at 10.23pm and crews from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene.'

'Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation.

'Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.

'To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025.

'We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.

'We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.'