Airport power outage disrupting JFK flights

By Renee Anderson, Jesse Zanger

Click here for updates on this story

    HOUNSLOW, United Kingdom (WCBS) — A power outage at London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday shuttered one of the world’s busiest travel hubs after a fire at an electrical substation nearby.

An estimated 200,000 travelers could be impacted by the closure worldwide, including many trying to fly into and out of New York City.

John F. Kennedy International Airport is Heathrow’s busiest travel route, with some 146 flights to and from New York City per week, according to the FlightRadar24 live tracking website. There are 21 flights from Heathrow to JFK every day except Sunday, when 20 are scheduled. Twenty-three flights were scheduled to travel from JFK to Heathrow on Friday.

Travelers are urged to check with their carriers and the JFK website to see the status of their flights.

Officials said they expected flights to resume at Heathrow later Friday, but travelers should expect “significant disruption over the coming days.” Some could be forced to find alternate routes as more flights are disrupted or diverted.

Authorities said it wasn’t clear what caused the substation fire, but London’s Metropolitan Police said there was “currently no indication of foul play.”

The fire also forced flights from Boston to London to return to Logan Airport.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.