Europe's largest airport closes after transformer fire, international aviation chaos

The incident caused at least 120 flights to be diverted, while more than 1,300 others were expected to be delayed or canceled, paralyzing international air traffic.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic diverted some flights to Gatwick, while international flights from Qantas and United Airlines were forced to divert to Paris, Ireland and other airports. Notably, some flights from the US turned around mid-air and returned to their departure points.

A major fire at a transformer station has severely affected Heathrow Airport. Photo: X/LondonFire

As both Europe's busiest airport and one of the world's busiest aviation hubs, Heathrow's closure has caused major disruption to the international aviation system. "This will disrupt airlines around the world," said Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for FlightRadar24.

The fire broke out at a transformer station in west London on the night of March 20, causing a power outage that affected more than 16,000 homes. About 150 people were evacuated. About 70 firefighters were on the scene to extinguish the fire. The exact cause of the fire is still unknown.

The incident has left the airline industry facing a “logistical nightmare” as it reorganizes schedules, adjusts airline fees and manages tens of thousands of affected passengers. “It will be a few days of chaos before the situation is fully resolved,” said analyst Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research Group.

Heathrow Airport said it would provide updates as the situation develops, while many passengers remain uncertain about where they will go. One European passenger tweeted: "#Heathrow still don't know where we are going. Currently hovering over Austria."

When Heathrow will fully recover remains a big question mark, but it is clear that the consequences of this incident will last for many days and have a profound impact on the international aviation industry.

Hoai Phuong (according to Guardian, Reuters)