Heathrow Airport will be closed Friday after the fire caused a blackout

London’s Heathrow Airport was closed on Friday after a fire at a nearby electric substation caused a blackout, disrupting travel for tens of thousands of passengers planning to enter and exit Europe’s busiest airport.

The airport is ready to resume flights as of Friday afternoon local time, posting on X and said it hopes to run a “full operation” on Saturday.

As of the latest update, more than 800 flights entering and leaving the airport on Friday have been cancelled to postpone travel at the Major Hub and maintain the connected airport, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

The airline warned travelers that the disruption could continue over the weekend, and posted that travelers should not go to the airport unless Heathrow is advised by the airline to do so.

London Metropolitan Police said there were “no indications of a foul play,” but the counter-terrorism department would now lead to an investigation into the fire.

“Given the location of the substation and the impact that this incident had on important national infrastructure, Met’s counterterrorism command is currently a leading investigation,” the force said in a post in X.

“This can help minimize this investigation and identify the cause due to the specialized resources and capabilities within that command,” he said.

“Heathrow has experienced significant power losses across the airport. …It is not clear when electricity will surely recover while firefighters respond to the incident,” a Heathrow spokesperson said Friday.

According to Flightradar24, more than 120 flights were already in the air when the closure was announced and detoured or returned to the original airport. Almost three-quarters of flights scheduled to depart from Heathrow, or half of the arrivals for 500 and 300 flights were also scrubbed.

Approximately 145,000 passengers could be affected by the closure, according to aviation data company Cirium.

Airlines around the world have told passengers to stay home as they operate flights in and out of Heathrow.

The fire and airport closures have stuck thousands of travelers. British Airways It is the most affected airline, with more than half of its Friday schedule being cancelled.

The airline said it will offer “flexible options” in its online posts to rebook passengers set up for travelling between Heathrow and Friday through weekends.

“Our team is currently working hard to see what our long distance schedules will impact our schedules and beyond,” the statement said.

According to a memo issued by City on Friday, the fire appears to be outside the airline’s control, so coverage may not be necessary.

American AirlinesAtlantic British Airways partners said that nearly 20 flights have been repurposed or cancelled since Thursday, providing overnight hotels to affected customers. I cancelled another 20 on Friday.

It was not clear when the operation would resume. An American spokesperson said it would resume operation at Heathrow “when airport conditions are permitted.”

European travel and leisure stocks fell on news of airport closures.

UK Energy Minister Ed Miliband described the fire as “devastating,” adding that the airport’s backup generator was affected by the flames, according to Reuters.

According to a post by X’s program, Miliband said “Good morning UK” on ITV.

Miliband added that National Grid is trying to use a separate backup system to restore power to the airport.

The blackout also affected around 16,000 homes at the airport. As of 8am GMT, the power sources had been restored to around 4,900 people, according to British energy companies Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

Heathrow Airport has 1,300 takeoffs and landings at the airport per day, according to its website. Last year it handled a record 83.9 million passengers. This has increased almost 6% since 2023.

Talking to “Good Morning Britain,” Miliband said Friday that “we have to understand why this happened and we have to solve lessons for infrastructure resilience.”

He said the National Grid is considering whether the airport is “sufficiently resilient” given the fire also affected the backup generator.

“It makes Heathrow look very vulnerable. So we have to learn a lesson… about how we protect not only Heathrow, but also our key infrastructure,” Miliband said.

Willie Walsh, CEO of the International Air Transport Association, or IATA, an industrial group in the aviation industry, criticized the Heathrow Airport in an online statement as “completely relying on a single power source,” describing it as a “false plan” by the airport.

Walsh wondered who would cover the costs of the resulting travel disruption.

“We need to find a fair allocation of passenger care costs rather than just airlines picking up tabs when infrastructure fails,” he said. “Until that happens, Heathrow has very little incentive to improve.”

Anita Mendiratta, travel and tourism advisor and founder of consulting firm AM&A, described the meaning of airport fires and closures as “very broad.”

“And what we need to consider is that more than 4,000 tons of cargo passes through Heathrow every day, more than passenger traffic,” she told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe.

More than 1.4 million tonnes of cargo came and went to Heathrow in 2023, according to a post on the airport website. This means that 90% of the goods are transported on hold on passenger aircraft.

Airport officials said they will update travelers “if details regarding reopening operations are available.”

Travelers can check the Heathrow Airport website or social media platforms including X for the latest updates.