Heathrow Shutdown: Air India Flights Diverted, Passengers Urged to Check Updates
Air India Suspends Heathrow Flights as Power Outage Shuts Down Airport Air India announced on Friday that its flight operations at London’s Heathrow Airport have been temporarily suspended after a major power outage caused by a
Air India Suspends Heathrow Flights as Power Outage Shuts Down Airport
Air India announced on Friday that its flight operations at London’s Heathrow Airport have been temporarily suspended after a major power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation forced the airport to shut down until midnight on March 21.
In a statement, the airline said, “Our operations to and from London Heathrow (LHR) have been disrupted following the temporary suspension of operations at the airport until 23h59 London time on March 21, after a significant power outage.”
As a result, Air India flight AI129 from Mumbai to Heathrow is returning to Mumbai, while flight AI161 from Delhi has been diverted to Frankfurt.
The airline further stated, “All our remaining flights to and from London Heathrow, including AI111 of this morning, have been canceled for March 21. We will update you bout the resumption of operations as soon as we have more information. Flights to London Gatwick remain unaffected.”
Heathrow Airport Closure & Fire Incident
Heathrow Airport confirmed the shutdown in a post on X, stating, “To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on March 21.” Passengers were advised not to travel to the airport.
The fire incident led to the evacuation of 150 people from nearby buildings, with large flames and thick smoke seen rising into the sky, according to Reuters. The power failure also affected nearby properties and caused global flight disruptions at Heathrow, the world’s fifth-busiest airport.
Massive Flight Disruptions
According to FlightRadar24, at least 120 inbound flights to Heathrow had to be diverted to other airports. Additionally, 1,351 flights were scheduled to land or take off at Heathrow on Friday, further compounding the disruption.
Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24, emphasized the scale of the impact, stating, “Heathrow is one of the world’s major aviation hubs. This will significantly disrupt airline operations worldwide.”
The London Fire Brigade deployed 70 firefighters to battle the blaze. Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the fire.
