Closing any airport is bad; closing Heathrow was a nightmare

At the moment Heathrow was closed on Friday because of a substation fire, more than 100 flights destined for the airport were already airborne. All had to make unplanned diversions to other airports, or turn round to land where they started.

Airport closures are always disruptive, but Friday’s – more likely caused by an engineering error than sabotage – had global ripple effects for a number of reasons.

With limited runway space and operating hours, Heathrow almost always runs at capacity. Take-offs and landings are squashed so tightly together that any rescheduling has knock-on effects.

England’s other airports run at near capacity too, and struggle to cope with extra flights, which is why Paris, Amsterdam and Shannon were drafted in to handle many of the diversions.

And as an international hub, Heathrow specialises in handling passenger transfers between flights.

Its closure didn’t just scupper plans for those heading in and out of London, it ruined journeys across the planet.