East Midlands Airport has provided their stance on today’s fire probe at Heathrow Airport, confirming that they will not be accepting any flight diversions in light of the incident in the capital.
A spokesperson for the airport has stated that while they have weighed up all possibilities, they had not received any requests for diversions as of Friday morning, 10:00 GMT.
The situation at Heathrow, which has caused significant disruption, has led to increased scrutiny of other airports in the region. However, East Midlands Airport has made it clear that they are not in a position to accommodate any diverted flights at this time.
The spokesperson reiterated that safety remains the top priority and they are closely monitoring the situation as it develops – but anything beyond that is out of their control.
More than 1,300 flights are expected to be affected by the all-day closure of Europe’s busiest airport, with a statement reading: Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 11.59pm on March 21. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Multiple residences have been evacuated after the fire broke out at the North Hyde Electricity Substation in west London – causing the power outage. Firefighters remain on-scene at the National Grid facility – 18 hours after the blaze broke out – with the Metropolitan Police confirming that the counter-terrorism command are leading enquiries into the source of the fire.
While there is currently ‘no indication of foul play’, a spokesperson for the Met said: “We are working with the London fire brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation. While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time.
“Given the location of the sub-station and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s counter-terrorism command is now leading inquiries.
“This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist in progressing this investigation at pace to minimise disruption and identify the cause.”
A transformer – the equipment used to transfer electrical energy between circuits – remains alight, with Gatwick taking on the wide-share of passengers affected by the incident in Hyde.
Heathrow Airport say they ‘hope’ to resume normal service from 23:59 GMT, Friday March 21.
