Lisbon, March 21, 2025 (Lusa) - ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal on Friday recommended that passengers with flights to London Heathrow airport check their flight status with the airlines before travelling to the airport.

"Due to limitations at London Heathrow Airport, flights to and from this airport are undergoing changes," said ANA, in a notice to passengers sent to Lusa, in which it recommends that those with flights to the London airport check the status of the connection “with the airlines before travelling to the airport”.

Heathrow airport, Europe's largest in terms of passenger traffic, will be closed for the day due to a power failure following a fire in an electrical substation.

The fire has since been brought under control, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Lisbon airport has cancelled 18 of the 22 departures and arrivals to and from London Heathrow scheduled for today, according to the airport operator's website.

At least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow have been affected, including several flights from cities in the United States that have been cancelled, flight tracking service FlightRadar 24 reported.

Some flights that were already in the air were diverted to Gatwick Airport, London, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, and Shannon Airport, Ireland.

In a statement posted on social media, Heathrow Airport Holdings recommended that passengers do not travel to the airport and advised them to contact the airline for more information.

"We expect significant disruption over the next few days," acknowledged the operator.

Gatwick airport, the UK's second busiest, has started accepting flights originally scheduled for Heathrow.

"We are offering support and accepting diverted flights as necessary," said a spokesman for Gatwick airport.

Seven flights were rerouted to Gatwick just before 07:00 local time (the same in Lisbon).

MPE/ADB // ADB.

Lusa