Heathrow airport has been shut down and plunged travel journeys into chaos after a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a massive power outage overnight.
Thousands of flights going to and from Heathrow will be impacted by the closure, in a major disruption set to trigger chaos at airports around the world.
A statement posted on the airport’s X account read: “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 23h59 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.”
The world's second-busiest airport, which had a record 83 million passengers last year, has warned of "significant disruption" over the coming days and has told passengers not to "travel under any circumstances" until it reopens.
A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which operates Aberdeen and Glasgow airports, said: “Our airports are operating as normal apart from all flights to and from London Heathrow which have been cancelled for the remainder of the day.
"Any passenger scheduled to fly to Heathrow should contact their airline directly before travelling to the airport.”
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said 10 engines and around 70 firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze.
More than 150 residents have been evacuated from their homes and more than 16,000 properties in the area are also suffering from blackouts due to the blaze in Hayes.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said the National Grid is "doing everything they can". He adds it's a fast-moving situation and the government will be doing everything it can "to work with Grid on the work they're doing."
He described the situation as "unusual and unprecedented" adding it was "too early to know" what caused the substation blaze.
And British Airways, which operates a dedicated terminal out of Heathrow Airport, says it's expecting significant impacts from the airport's closure.
The airline says it is working as quickly as possible to update passengers on their travel options for "the next 24 hours and beyond".
It is unknown when Heathrow will reopen and the cause of the fire is yet to be determined.