Air Cargo Disruption Following Heathrow Closure

Following a fire breaking out at an electrical substation near London Heathrow, the airport is closed and is not due to reopen until at least midnight Friday March 21st.

The blaze led to a major power outage at the airport, which has already impacted over 1300 flights and led to requests for passengers to stay away.

Airborne flights en-route to Heathrow have been largely diverted to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, with others landing at Frankfurt and Manchester. Efforts are underway for cargo to be transported to Heathrow.

While no flights are departing or arriving, we understand the current position at airline sheds is as follows:

• Import Cargo: Collections can be arranged for the majority of customs cleared shipments.
• Export Cargo: Export deliveries are hit and miss and dependent on whether the faculty has sufficient power.

Heathrow is far and away the busiest airport for cargo in the UK. Therefore, the majority of import and export airfreight services are likely to be impacted by backlogs, delays and disruption during the next few days.

Atlantic Pacific is monitoring developments closely. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are concerned about current or upcoming shipments.