Heathrow Airport Says Open, Fully Operational

London Heathrow Airport said it was "fully operational" on Saturday, after an almost daylong closure sparked by an electrical substation fire.

- 

But airlines warned that severe disruption will last for days as they scramble to relocate planes and crews and get travelers to their destinations.

The airport's boss said he was proud of Heathrow's response to the incident. But inconvenienced passengers, angry airlines and concerned politicians sought answers about how one seemingly accidental fire could shut down Europe's busiest air hub.

"We have hundreds of additional colleagues on hand in our terminals and we have added flights to today's schedule to facilitate an extra 10,000 passengers traveling through the airport," Heathrow said in a statement, advising passengers to check with their airline before going to the airport.

British Airways, Heathrow's biggest airline, said it expects to operate about 85% of its 600 scheduled flights at the airport on Saturday. It said that "to recover an operation of our size after such a significant incident is extremely complex".