FLIGHT BACK

Dozens of Heathrow planes still grounded as probe is launched

- BY SIMON MURPHY and MIKEY SMITH

HEATHROW Airport yesterday claimed to be “fully operational” again after an electricity substation blaze sparked travel chaos.

Yet dozens of flights were still cancelled, including 21 British Airways routes from Terminal 5 alone.

Around 200,000 passengers were affected by the airport's closure on Friday after a fire nearby caused a power outage that crippled travel.

Most planes were taking off after flights resumed the evening before but departure screens at Terminal 5 showed 13 British Airways cancellations to cities including Manchester, Berlin, Washington and Dubai.

By late morning, eight more BA flights, including to Zurich, Paris and Belfast, were listed as cancelled, and other airlines were affected.

Among disappointed passengers were new parents Lucy Nicoll, 28, and husband Frankie, 31, from Swindon.

The couple were looking forward to a weekend in Dublin - their first break in four months since their son's birth. They will now go next month.