The closure of Heathrow airport in London on Friday (21) is expected to affect more than 1,300 flights, according to the FlightRadar tracking site24, causing interruptions for thousands of passengers.
Flights are being canceled and some already in the air are being diverted.
“Today’s total London-Heathrow closure will affect at least 1,351 flights,” said FlightTar24 at X.
“This does not include any flights that can be canceled or delayed because the aircraft is out of position,” the note said.
The airline analysis company, Cirium, estimated that “more than 145,000” passengers can be impacted.
Previously, the FlightRadar24 said 120 flights to Heathrow were already on the air.
The director of the FlightRadar tracking site24 told the CNN that Heathrow’s closure is extremely frustrating for passengers, due to its importance as an international aviation center.
“This is absolutely crucial for air trips. In addition to being one of the busiest airports in the world, it is also one of the airports that brings together the largest number of airlines.”
Ian Petchenik, director of communications at FlightTar24
At least 31 flights already in the air were diverted to other airports, according to the company. Among them, five were diverted to Gatwick airport in London and three to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam.
About 15 flights were also diverted to airports in North America, with several redirecting to Dulles International Airport, near Washington, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Petchenik expects it to take until days or weeks so that affected airlines will return to normal, depending on the size of their operations.
This content was originally published in Heathrow’s closure should affect over 1300 flights, says director on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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