London Heathrow partly reopened on 21MAR after a massive fire knocked out power to the world’s fifth busiest airport.
In a note on the LHR website, officials said the airport “is safely able to restart.” But they warned of reduced operations and said it would be prioritizing the “repatriation and relocation of aircraft.”
The website warned passengers not to travel to the airport unless their airline has advised them to.
The BBC said the fire began shortly before midnight London time on 20MAR with two explosions. It also said the fire involved a transformer containing 25,000 litres (5,499 gallons) of cooling fluid, which had been set alight.
“Counter-terror officers from the Metropolitan Police are leading the investigation,” the network said. “The force said there was ‘currently no indication of foul play’ but officers were retaining an ‘open mind at this time’ into the cause of the blaze.”
Published reports said LHR’s closure is expected to affect more than 1,300 flights, possibly impacting 200,000 pax or more. Airport officials are warning of significant disruption in the next few days, so more cancellations are likely.
The CBC quotes London Fire Brigade officials as saying it took firefighters about seven hours to get the blaze under control. By early morning the roads around Britain's biggest airport were largely deserted, except for some passengers walking away with their luggage.
Both WestJet and Air Canada have issued travel advisories for people impacted by the fire.
