Jersey flights cancelled after major fire at Heathrow Airport

Flights to and from Jersey are among more than 1,000 affected by a major fire which has led to Heathrow Airport being closed all day.

Three British Airways departures from Jersey to Heathrow have been cancelled, with three incoming flights also axed as a result of the fire at an electrical substation that supplies the airport’s power.

The online monitoring service Flightradar24 stated that a minimum of 1,351 flights would be affected by the closure, while some news outlets predicted that the disruption would persist into the weekend.

Many islanders face challenges making connections to international services at Heathrow: while other options exist for flying to the London area, including multiple BA and easyJet services to Gatwick, spare seats are likely to be snapped up quickly.

With power to the airport and thousands of homes in the Heathrow Airport area, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the National Grid is “doing everything it can”, but that it was too early to ascertain the cause of the fire.

He added: “The [National] Grid have never seen an event quite like this so it is very unprecedented – the priority at the moment is to get the fire out, restore power, and unwind the travel disruption.”

A Ports of Jersey spokesperson said passengers booked on the affected BA flights should check with the airline for information.