Flight disruptions expected to last several days
The Algarve appears to have escaped the worst of the airport shutdown at London’s Heathrow today, although people flying in and out of Lisbon have been affected.
Faro airport tends to concentrate on flights to London’s ‘other destinations’ (Gatwick/ Stansted/ Luton) and so issues today appear to be few and far between. The next flight scheduled for Heathrow is tomorrow morning. It is unclear at this point whether that will happen.
It is also possible that other UK airports will start getting snarled up as so many flights have to be diverted.
The wider picture is one of ‘chaos’, as 1,350 flights from all over the world were expected in and out of the airport which suffered a power failure following a fire at an electrical substation last night.
For now, news from Lisbon is that it has cancelled 18 of the 22 departures and arrivals of flights to and from London Heathrow today.
Some long-haul flights turned back when they got the news, others diverted to airports as far afield as France/ Ireland.
While the official announcement says the airport will reopen in the early hours of Saturday (flights only resume after 4am), the reality is that the disruption caused by a lost day will reverberate for some time (well into next week, it has been suggested).
In a statement posted on social media, Heathrow Airport Holdings has recommended that passengers do not travel to the airport and advises them to contact the airline for more information.
The company said it will update operations when it has more information about the resumption of power supplies.
National Rail, which represents railway operating companies, announced that all trains to and from Heathrow have also been cancelled.
The London Fire Brigade reported that a transformer inside an electricity substation in Hayes, west London, was still on fire at 8am this morning. The fire “caused a power failure that affected a large number of local homes and businesses”. Estimates point to roughly 16,300 homes affected. It appears the fire is now out, so the business of restoring power supplies will be the next priority.
There is no indication that this incident is anything other than an unfortunate accident. ND
Source material: LUSA
