Gatwick, Stansted and Luton flight info as Heathrow closed all day with over 1,300 cancellations

Budget airline Ryanair has announced it has launched eight ‘rescue flights’ for passengers affected by the Heathrow closure.

It has said the flights between Stansted and Dublin on Friday and Saturday will be available from 9:30am.

Gatwick Airport has said flights will operate as normal today

London’s alternative airports Gatwick, Stansted and Luton can expect busier than normal days today as passengers rearrange their flights which have been cancelled as a result of the fire this morning.

London Gatwick has already confirmed it is running a full operation at both its North and South terminals this morning while Luton and Stansted have not indicated a change to their schedules.

For the latest departure information at the three airports click here

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has told LBC there is ‘no suggestion of foul play’ surrounding the fire that has resulted in the closure of Heathrow Airport today.

The blaze broke out at an electricity substation in Hayes, around two miles from the airport, in the early hours this morning.

The blaze has knocked out power to the airport and surrounding homes.

We’ve got to get power restored as quickly as possible and Heathrow opened as quickly as possible. But the truth it’s going to take time to unwind the disruption for obvious reasons. There’s no suggestion there is any foul play.

On a typical weekday, around 220,000 people would travel through Heathrow to an array of destinations across the world.

But Britain’s busiest airport stands desolate this morning after a major fire at a nearby electricity substation has resulted in the closure of the airport for the entire day.

Here are some pictures taken this morning:

Are you one of the many tens of thousands of passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted today as a result of the Heathrow closure.

If yes, then travel experts are on hand to remind you of what help you can receive although travellers are unlikely to be compensated because of the circumstances surrounding the fire.

Nicky Kelvin, editor-at-large at The Points Guy, told Mailonline the fire had caused an ‘extraordinary situation.’

He reminds passengers that under normal circumstances, if they are delayed for more than two hours on a short-haul flight, airlines must provide them with support such as food and drink and reimbursement for phone calls.

If they are delayed overnight, airlines will provide them with accommodation and transport to a hotel or home.

Usually if travellers arrive at their destination more than three hours late, they are entitled to compensation, however as these are extraordinary circumstances and out of the airlines’ control, this type of compensation will very likely not be payable.

Consumer experts from Which? have warned passengers whose flights have been cancelled as a result of the Heathrow closure will not be entitled to compensation but can ask their airline for assistance.

Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said travellers should refrain from travelling to Heathrow today but instead keep in touch with their airline.

If your flight is cancelled you won’t be entitled to compensation as these events will be considered an extraordinary circumstance, but you will be entitled to assistance from your airline, including overnight accommodation if needed.

Passengers will have the choice of being rerouted or accepting a refund, and if you opt for the former your airline is obliged to get you on a new flight as soon as possible, including with rival carriers from alternative airports.

If you instead accept a refund, be aware that your airline will have no further duty of care to you and you’ll need to make your own arrangements.It’s also worth checking the terms of your travel insurance to see if you are able to recoup any other expenses you may have incurred as a result of this incident, such as car hire or airport parking fees.

There have been no casualties or anyone treated for injuries at the scene of the fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, the London Ambulance Service said.

Hazardous area response teams and an incident response officer are currently on the scene, they said.

‘We are currently supporting emergency services colleagues at the scene of a fire in Hayes,”’ a spokesperson said.

‘Please try to avoid the area and, if you live nearby, stay indoors and keep windows closed.’

The huge blaze that broke out at an electrical substation in Hayes is ‘now under control’, the London Fire Brigade has said.

Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the day to minimise distruption and support the local community.

A probe into the cause of the fire has now also been launched by fire investigators.

It comes after the fire brigade said a transformer remained alight early on Friday morning.

The fire at a substation in Hayes has led to blackouts across much of the west London area.

Around 16,000 residents have reported disruption to their power supply on Friday morning.

A MailOnline graphic reveals just how close the fire was to Heathrow Airport.

The blaze broke out at a substation in Hayes, less than two miles away from the travel hub.

The fire at the substation in Hayes has left more than 4,900 homes without power. Some 150 people were evacuated from nearby homes.

National Grid says it is ‘working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible’.

The Government will be doing everything it can to restore power to Heathrow Airport, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said.

Mr Miliband was asked by Sky News whether a Cobra meeting of senior ministers would be convened to address the matter.

He replied: ‘I’m sure the Government will be convening in the most appropriate way.

‘I’m not going to anticipate the precise form of that, but I’m already in touch with my colleagues on this issue.

‘As I say, I’ve spoken to the National Grid, who are really at the epicentre of this, and we will be doing everything we can, both to restore power and help the National Grid.

‘To do that, and to ensure that the DfT (Department for Transport), and the Government as a whole, plays its part in, as best we can, minimising the disruption to passengers.’

Dozens of passengers have told MailOnline their flights have been affected by the closure at Heathrow this morning.

One, who was on a Emirates flight from Dubai, said the news of the fire broke 90 minutes before they were due to land.

They said they asked a member of the cabin crew what was going on and they replied ‘you know more than we do’.

The departure board at Heathrow is giving mixed signals this morning with most flights cancelled.

However, some still say gates are open, inlcuding a Luthhansa flight to Munich scheduled for 7.40am.

Passengers have been told not to come to Heathrow’s terminals this morning due to the closure.

A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: ‘There will be no delays to Birmingham Airport’s own customers, due to any diverted Heathrow aircraft into BHX.

‘Airports regularly take diverts as part of normal operations, and flights inbound to London Heathrow will use multiple airports around the UK, and Ireland, or alternatively may return to their departure airport.

‘We will assist with landing any diverted aircraft during the Heathrow closure today and work with those LHR airlines to repatriate their customers upon arrival into Birmingham.’

A British couple stuck in China have ‘no idea’ how they will get home after their flight was cancelled.

Sharon Towers and her husband told MailOnline they are stranded in the airport as strict immigration policy means they can’t check into a hotel.

She said: ‘My husband and I are stuck in China!

‘We should have taken off at 1pm local time here! Instead we are stuck at the airport with no idea how/when we will get home!

‘We can’t check in to a hotel because of the strict immigration visa policy, to enter back in to the airport, we need a boarding pass so customs can confirm when we are leaving the country!

‘We don’t know that, so we cant get a boarding pass to enter back in to the airport!’

Firefighters have been pictured dousing the remainder of the fire that broke out at the substation near Heathrow, causing the airport to shut.

If you are just joining us, part of the transformer at the site was still alight on Friday morning.

No trains will run to and from Heathrow today with major distruption expected, National Rail has said.

• Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4. and also between Shenfield / Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 5
• Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5

In the last hour, National Grid has posted on X that the fire at North Hyde substation has ‘damaged equipment, leading to a loss of power supply in the area’.

‘We are working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible and will provide an update as soon as we can,’ it said in a statement.

More than 16,300 homes remain without power and have caused 150 people to be evacuated from nearby homes.

Some 120 flights were in the air when Heathrow announced its closure.

Passengers on those flights are being diverted to other airports in the UK and Europe.

Two flights from Doha and Bahrain have just landd in Frankfurt while a Cathay Pacific service from Hong Kong has diverted to Amsterdam.

London Gatwick has just shared a new statement saying it is offering support by ‘accepting diverted flights’.

‘Flights are operating from London Gatwick as normal today,’ the airport added.

Has YOUR flight been affected? Email olivia.christie@mailonline.co.uk

Air India has announced it is returning its London-bound AI129 flight to Mumbai.

Another flight – the Al161 from Delhi – is being diverted to Frankfurt, Germany.

All other remaining Air India flights travelling to and from London today have been cancelled.

Flights to London Gatwick remain unaffected, the airline told customers.

‘We will update about resumption of operations as soon as we have more information,’ the airline said in a statement.

If you’re just joining us, British Airways has released its first statement since Heathrow announced its closure.

The airline, which has its main base at Heathrow, warned the closure will have a ‘significant impact’ on its operation and its customers.

‘We’re working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond,’ the airline said in a statement.

Passengers are being warned not to travel to the airport.

Fireifghters are still at the scene of the blaze at the substation in Hayes, described by the fire brigade as a ‘prolonged incident’.

Part of a transformer is still alight and distruption remains ongoing, the London Fire Brigade said in their latest statement.

London Gatwick Airport has shared a new statement confirming that it will ‘accept diverted flights as required.

It added that it had already seen seven planes land that were due to arrive in Heathrow.

In its latest update just after 4am, the London Fire Brigade said that half of a transformer within the substation remains alight.

Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are at the scene tackling the fire at the electrical substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes.

Airlines have a strict schedule of where planes and crews have to be at what time for their network to function, but now dozens of carriers will have to reconfigure their plans due to the Heathrow Airport closure.

In addition, airlines will have to find a way to deal with the backlog of passengers.

‘It’s going to be a chaotic couple of days,’ travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt from the Atmosphere Research Group told the Guardian.

Gatwick Airport said it is ‘ready to support as required’ after the Heathrow Airport closure caused at least 1,351 flights to be diverted.

‘We are aware of the situation at Heathrow Airport today and stand ready to support as required,’ a Gatwick spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC.

‘Flights are operating from London Gatwick as normal today.’

Power firm Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said those ‘medically dependent on electricity’ in need of support should call the company on 105.

SSEN said about 16,000 homes have been left without power in areas around Heathrow Airport.

FlightRadar24 spokesman Ian Petchenik said that the unplanned closure of Heathrow Airport will disrupt flights all over the world.

‘Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world,’ he told the Telegraph.

‘This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world.’

The flight tracking website said on X: ‘Today’s total closure of London-Heathrow will affect at least 1,351 flights to/from LHR.

‘That doesn’t include any flights that might be canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position.’

Footage of the blaze shows large clouds of smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters are trying to put out the fire, while videos from inside Heathrow showed the airport lying largely dark amid the power outage.

Flights set to land at Heathrow are already being diverted, but it is currently unclear how many flights are affected.

One of the diverted planes, flight US 146 from Newark, is now set to land in Shannon in Ireland shortly after 5am after the Heathrow Airport closure forced a diversion. It was scheduled to land at Heathrow at 5.55am.

Flights UA901 from San Francisco and EW9462 from Dusseldorf, which were set to land at Heathrow at 7.25am, have also been diverted.

Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: ‘This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible.

The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption.’

He added: ‘Due to the significant amount of smoke, we strongly advise local residents to keep their windows and doors closed.’

Good morning. If you’re just joining us, this is what we know so far about the chaos at Heathrow Airport:

• All flights to and from Heathrow Airport have been cancelled until midnight.
• It follows an fire at a nearby electricity substation – firefighters are still working to tackle the blaze.
• At least 1,351 flights have been cancelled. More than 120 flights were mid-air when the closure was announced with flights being diverted to other UK and European airports.
• There is no electricity at the airport and nearby homes and businesses. More than 150 people have been evacuated.
• Disruption is expected to last until midnight on Friday, but the airport is warning of ‘significant disruption’ over the weekend.

Have YOU been affected? Email olivia.christie@mailonline.co.uk

‘Around 20 people have been evacuated from neighbouring properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution with around 150 people evacuated.

‘The fire is producing a significant amount of smoke and local residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed.

‘The Brigade’s Control Officers have taken almost 200 calls to the fire. The first call was received at 10.23pm and crews from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene.’

‘Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation.

‘Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.

‘To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025.

‘We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.

‘We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.’