Heathrow shutdown causes global flight turmoil

POWER OUTAGE HITS MORE THAN 1,300 FLIGHTS, ABOUT 200,000 PASSENGERS

- AGENCIES

London's Heathrow airport suffered its worst disruption in at least two decades after a nearby fire cut power to the hub and brought travel to a standstill for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The airport—the busiest in Europe and fourth most active in the world—will be closed all day Friday and service interruptions are likely to continue for days, authorities said, as workers try to connect backup electrical supplies.

"Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances," Heathrow said in a statement. The airport said it doesn't know when power will be reliably restored.

The airport said in a statement it does not have "clarity on when power may be reliably restored." It said it expects "significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens." Heathrow earlier said the airport is not expected to reopen until Saturday.

The closure will force more than 1,300 flights to be canceled or rerouted on Friday alone. Heathrow, home to British Airways, is a major hub for transatlantic travel, as well as connections to the West Asia and Asia. While nearby airports such as London Gatwick have accepted some diverted flights, others are being sent as far as Frankfurt.