Thousands of passengers are facing delays and cancellations after Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, was forced to close following a fire at a nearby substation.
Travellers heading to weddings, the Arctic Circle, rugby matches and birthdays have been left scrambling to find alternatives.
Around 1,357 flights have been affected, according to data from Flight Radar.
Follow live updates on Heathrow closure
Sleeping in the snow
Adventurer Jordan Wylie during his training in Sweden. Pic: Kate Knight, Army Cadets Media
Jordan Wylie MBE told Sky News he is sleeping in the snow tonight after his flight home from northern Sweden was cancelled.
The adventurer was training for an Antarctic expedition where he will attempt to climb a series of unclimbed and unnamed peaks in aid of the Army Cadets Charity.
Adventurer Jordan Wylie will sleep in his tent in northern Sweden tonight after his flight home was cancelled. Pic: Kate Knight, Army Cadets Media
However, his training has been extended by one more day because of the Heathrow chaos and he will sleep in his tent again.
Read more: What are your rights if your flight is delayed or cancelled?
He will now have to fly «from Northern Sweden to Stockholm to Frankfurt to Heathrow but not for at least 24 hours», according to representatives he’s spoken to from Scandinavia Airlines (SAS).
Long-awaited best friend’s wedding
One woman in Minneapolis said her husband would miss his best friend’s wedding after their flight was turned around over the Atlantic Ocean.
A passenger checks her phone as she waits to fly to Toronto via Heathrow International Airport. Pic: Reuters
«This wedding is a huge deal because it got postponed due to Covid, then their toddler got leukaemia,» she said.
«Now the wedding is finally happening. «We are devastated,» she expressed, mentioning that this was their family’s first international flight. They were now back in their car in Minneapolis at 2:40 am, with their toddlers wide awake in the back seat, wondering why they weren’t in London.
Passenger Lloyd Mcbratney described the «panic and confusion» on his flight from Kuwait to Heathrow when the plane suddenly turned around without explanation. He and his girlfriend, returning from a trip to the Philippines, are now stranded at an airport hotel in Kuwait.
«We have no idea when we will be going back home, no guidance, no communication,» he told Sky News. To make matters worse, Mr. Mcbratney is starting a new job on Monday. «Absolute shambles,» he said.
Alex Wiffen shared that the London Irish Under 12s rugby team had their long-awaited trip to Dublin disrupted. The trip, which had been planned for 40 years and was the inaugural trip for the girls’ team, was canceled. Now, the players and 70 parents are hoping to get to Dublin as soon as possible for their first match against Clontarf Rugby Club.
Nigel and Pam Turner found themselves diverted to Manchester Airport from Heathrow after flying out from Dubai. They were stuck waiting in Manchester Airport for an onward flight to Guernsey, which they had to pay for themselves. The couple only learned about the diversion while in the air and were surprised to find out they would be landing in Manchester instead of Heathrow. Despite the unexpected turn of events, they remained in good spirits, hoping to find a comfortable place to wait out the nine-hour delay before their next flight. «C’est la vie,» Nigel said. There is nothing we can do about it. Sohan Shah and his family from Croydon encountered confusion at the airport after traveling from Beijing to Xi’an and Shanghai. The language barrier made it difficult for airport staff to explain the situation until they saw a Sky News report about the Heathrow fire. They were eventually rebooked on a flight to London Gatwick and provided with accommodation and food vouchers for the night.
Instead, he is stuck in a hotel room he booked for last night to break up the travel day.
«I live in Derby – and I’m unsure whether to stay in London or go home and wait to hear more,» he said.
Heathrow has cancelled all flights until midnight on Friday.
U-turn to the US
Rafa, from London, was on a flight from Dallas when the pilot U-turned at 4am.
«Cannot believe that Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest and best airports, is not running on some sort of independent power to carry on operations,» he said.
«And the decision made to turn around to America is crazy considering how many flight options [there] are from Germany and France back to the UK.»
He added: «Nightmare on all accounts.»
Anniversary celebrations delayed
Carly and Mel were due to fly to Bali with Singapore Airlines this morning for their seven-year anniversary before finding out what had happened at 5.20am.
After working out their options, they managed to book a flight from Charles de Gaulle in Paris to Singapore.
They then headed to Victoria Coach station before overnight travel to the French capital.
From there, they’ll make their way to Denpasar in Indonesia before another connecting flight will take them to Labuan Bajo and then to the island of Komodo.
«By the time we arrive, we will have had to take a train, coach, another train and three flights, but thanks to our own tenacity and the help of Singapore Airlines we will at least make it!»
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Thousands of passengers are facing delays and cancellations after Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, was forced to close following a fire at a nearby substation.
Travellers heading to weddings, the Arctic Circle, rugby matches and birthdays have been left scrambling to find alternatives.
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Runways deserted as substation fire is put out
Around 1,357 flights have been affected, according to data from Flight Radar.
Follow live updates on Heathrow closure
Sleeping in the snow
Adventurer Jordan Wylie during his training in Sweden.
But their flight was cancelled and they are now at Heathrow with no idea when they will get home, Mr Wiffen told Sky News.
«The kids have been amazing, but are obviously gutted,» he said. Image: Reuters
«It’s a journey that has been happening for 40 years and it’s the first trip for the girls’ team,» says Alex.
«Our 8am flights this morning were canceled and now there is no way to get to Dublin.»
The players and 70 parents are now just «praying we can get there ASAP» before their first match against Clontarf Rugby Club tomorrow morning.
Stuck at Manchester airport
Nigel and Pam Turner have been diverted to Manchester Airport from Heathrow after flying out from Dubai.
They were expecting to land at Heathrow at 7am but are now stuck waiting in Manchester Airport until 7pm for an onward flight to Guernsey, which they paid for themselves.
The couple only found out what had happened while they were in the air – when they saw the couple in front had the news on their screens, and realized there had been a fire affecting Heathrow.
It wasn’t until the plane was over the English Channel that they found out they would actually be landing in Manchester.
Speaking from a coffee shop at T2 arrivals, they said they were in good spirits but hoping to find somewhere comfortable to wait out the nine hours before their flight out. «C’est la vie,» Nigel said. There is nothing we can do about it. Sohan Shah and his family from Croydon encountered confusion at the airport after traveling from Beijing to Xi’an and Shanghai. Due to a language barrier, airport staff were unable to explain the situation until they saw a Sky News report about a fire at Heathrow. Mr. Shah described how they were continuously sent back and forth to different counters before finally being rebooked on a flight to London Gatwick in the early hours of the morning.
The airport staff eventually arranged for them to be transported to a local hotel and provided food vouchers for the night. Meanwhile, another traveler, Andy, was supposed to be flying from Heathrow to Washington DC for his 50th birthday celebrations but was left stranded due to the airport closure caused by the power outage.
Heathrow Airport had canceled all flights until midnight on Friday, leaving passengers like Rafa, who was on a flight from Dallas, shocked when the pilot made a U-turn at 4 am. Rafa expressed disbelief at the lack of independent power at Heathrow and questioned the decision to return to America instead of exploring other flight options from nearby countries.
Carly and Mel, who were planning to fly to Bali for their seven-year anniversary, had to quickly rearrange their travel plans after being informed of the airport closure early in the morning. They managed to secure a flight from Charles de Gaulle in Paris to Singapore, followed by a journey to Bali with multiple connecting flights.
Despite the challenges and disruptions caused by the Heathrow closure, the travelers remained determined to reach their destinations with the help of airline staff and their own perseverance. The incident highlighted the impact of unexpected events on travel plans and the resilience of passengers in overcoming obstacles to ensure they reach their intended destinations. Thousands of passengers are facing delays and cancellations after Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, was forced to close following a fire at a nearby substation. Travellers heading to weddings, the Arctic Circle, rugby matches and birthdays have been left scrambling to find alternatives. Around 1,357 flights have been affected, according to data from Flight Radar. Follow live updates on Heathrow closure. Sleeping in the snow. Jordan Wylie MBE told Sky News he is sleeping in the snow tonight after his flight home from northern Sweden was cancelled. The adventurer was training for an Antarctic expedition where he will attempt to climb a series of unclimbed and unnamed peaks in aid of the Army Cadets Charity. Read more: What are your rights if your flight is delayed or cancelled? Long-awaited best friend’s wedding. One woman in Minneapolis said her husband would miss his best friend’s wedding after their flight was turned around over the Atlantic Ocean.
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