A fire at an electrical substation near London’s Heathrow Airport triggered a massive power outage on Friday, forcing a full-day shutdown at the UK’s busiest travel hub and causing widespread disruption across global air networks. As a result, over 1,300 flights were canceled, affecting major international carriers including British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Air India, Etihad, EgyptAir, Air France, AeroMéxico, American Airlines, and Air Canada—leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded and sparking a new wave of travel chaos around the world.

A major travel disruption swept across the globe on Friday after a fire at an electrical substation in west London triggered a power outage that forced the complete shutdown of Heathrow Airport — the UK’s busiest and one of the world’s top international hubs.

The outage led to the cancellation of over 1,300 flights, grounding aircraft, stranding passengers, and disrupting worldwide travel networks. Among the most affected were British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Air India, Etihad, EgyptAir, Air France, AeroMéxico, American Airlines, and Air Canada, alongside many others operating through Heathrow.

According to Flightradar24, a total of 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow were affected, including 344 flight cancellations and 24 delays. Of these, 61 cancellations and 6 delays involved routes into or out of the United States.

The fire broke out at a substation in Hayes, west London, at 11:23 p.m. GMT on Thursday. Emergency crews responded with 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters. The London Fire Brigade said part of a transformer is still burning, with the cause of the fire yet to be determined.

A 200-metre safety cordon has been established, and 150 residents were evacuated. 29 people were led to safety from nearby buildings, and local authorities have advised residents to keep windows and doors closed due to heavy smoke. The incident also left thousands of homes without power.

At the time of the shutdown, 120 flights were already en route to Heathrow. As of 7:00 a.m. local time, 36 of those planes were still airborne, highlighting the scale of operational disruption.

Passengers have been urged not to travel to Heathrow under any circumstances, with officials warning of “significant disruption” in the coming days. Many airlines are struggling to rebook travelers, and delays may continue into the weekend and beyond.

Heathrow typically handles over 220,000 passengers daily, serving more than 180 destinations through 90+ airlines. With the airport offline, an estimated 290,000 passengers may be impacted.

Airline Disruptions by the Numbers

Below is a detailed breakdown of the impact on major carriers:

A fire-induced power outage at Heathrow Airport in the UK led to the cancellation of over 1,300 flights on Friday, disrupting operations for major airlines including British, Japan, Qantas, Air India, Etihad, EgyptAir, Air France, AeroMéxico, American, and Air Canada. The shutdown triggered widespread travel chaos, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers worldwide.

The sudden shutdown of Heathrow has sent shockwaves through the global travel industry, disrupting schedules across multiple continents. With no clear timeline yet for full restoration of power and airport operations, the impact is expected to linger for days. Passengers are being urged to monitor airline updates closely and prepare for potential delays or cancellations as Heathrow works to recover from one of its most significant operational interruptions in recent years.

The post British, Japan, Qantas, Air India, Etihad, EgyptAir, Air France, AeroMéxico, American, and Air Canada Among Airlines Face New Travel Disruption as Over Thousand of Flights Canceled Amid Fire-Induced Power Outage at Heathrow Airport in UK appeared first on Travel And Tour World.