Heathrow Airport, the United Kingdom's largest and one of the world's busiest airports, is set to remain closed until 11:59 p.m. on Friday. Then a fire at an electrical substation forced the railroad to make the unexpected unilateral closure. Consequently, global travel now finds itself in the midst of a deepening crisis. Passengers are advised not to come to the airport until further notice. This unexpected, massive closure halts hundreds of flights across the world.
For global travel, the upcoming closure of Heathrow, the busiest international airport in the world, is sure to affect a mind-bending 1/6th of all daily flights. As of Friday, the airport was still kicking off an active schedule. It was supposed to greet 679 incoming flights and bid adieu to 678 departing flights! The severe, sustained disruption upending operations is still creating a ripple effect chaos for the airlines and their passengers. Even large carriers such as Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, and Emirates are getting squeezed. As we’ve covered, they are already canceling or redirecting thousands of flights.
Virgin Atlantic has acknowledged far-reaching impacts on their flying schedule as a result of the closure. We are ensuring all affected passengers have assistance they need, including hotel accommodations and alternative arrangements for travel.
"SIA will provide all necessary assistance to the affected passengers, including providing hotel accommodation, and reaccommodating them on alternative flights or land transport," stated Virgin Atlantic.
Singapore Airlines is severely hampered, with knock-on cancellations of other flights operated between Singapore and London Heathrow. After the incident, Emirates canceled six flights to and from the airport. Moreover, they will not accept connecting passengers for flights going to Heathrow until further notice.
"Passengers connecting onto the flights to London Heathrow will not be accepted for travel until further notice at the point of origin," Emirates announced.
Swiss has also withdrawn all flights from Zurich and Geneva to Heathrow. At the same time, Lufthansa has suspended all its flights to and from this airport. Qatar Airways has canceled seven flights and reassures passengers that they are working closely with Heathrow officials to manage the situation.
"Qatar Airways is working closely with LHR airport officials. Passengers impacted due to above will be taken care of by our customer care and airport teams," Qatar Airways confirmed.
United Airlines has similarly been left with no choice but to cancel all flights to Heathrow on Friday. They are actively working with customers to provide alternative travel options.
"We are working with our customers to offer alternative travel options," United Airlines stated.
British Airways’ bosses are under no illusion about the disruptive effect this had on their operation. They’re in the process of keeping impacted customers closely informed about their travel alternatives.
"This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we're working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond," commented British Airways.
In order to minimize impact, British Airways is currently diverting inbound flights in air that are en route to Heathrow. They are choosing to land at other UK airports instead.
"Where possible, we're redirecting inbound flights already on their way to Heathrow to other UK airports," said British Airways.
Passengers around the world are being impacted by the ripple effect of Heathrow’s closure that goes way beyond these three airlines. Passengers who purchased via travel intermediaries should obtain information directly from their service providers. This is critically important for those with American connections on other airlines.
As the date nears, airlines and Heathrow authorities continue to keep a watchful eye on developments. Travelers have been advised to monitor news from official sources for the latest updates regarding flight cancellations and options.