London's Heathrow airport closed after fire causes major power cut

LONDON, March 21 : Britain's Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest, was shut down early Friday after a major fire at neighborhood electrical substation supplying power to the sprawling facility west of London, officials said.

Several flights were already being diverted, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, while airport authorities said they "expect significant disruption over the coming days".

"Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage," the airport operator said in a statement on its website, adding it would be closed until just before midnight Friday (2359 GMT).

"Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens."

London Fire Brigade said there has been a "significant" fire at a substation in Hayes, a town in the London borough of Hillingdon.

"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," said 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.

A Qantas flight arriving from Perth was diverted to Paris' Charles de Gaulle while a United Airlines flight from New York was due to land in Ireland's Shannon instead.

Heathrow handles more than than 80 million passengers a year. (AFP)