UK transport and energy minister, called the consequences of the fire that broke out at a power station near London Heathrow Airport on the night of Thursday to Friday ‘unprecedented’. The airport will remain closed on Friday and the aftermath is expected to cause disruption for days to come.

Power should return to Heathrow Airport within hours, a National Grid source tells the BBC, after a fire at a nearby electrical substation forced Europe’s busiest airport into shutdown.

Hotels and pubs near the airport are packed with stranded passengers desperate for news.

Disruption at London’s Heathrow Airport may last up to a week before returning to normal.

On X, the airport is advising travellers not to travel to the airport immediately, but to do so only when their airline indicates. To ensure safety, Heathrow will not immediately resume all air traffic, but will prioritise ‘repatriation and relocation of aircraft’, according to a statement on the airport’s website. Heathrow apologises for the inconvenience.