
British Airways, which is based at Heathrow, appeared to be the airline most affected by the closures, with at least 124 flights affected as of early Friday morning, according to data published by FlightAware.
In a statement, an airline spokesperson said the closures had a « significant impact on our operation. » It said that where possible, it had been redirecting inbound flights already on their way to Heathrow to other airports in the U.K.
As of early Friday, other British airports were not yet heavily impacted yet by the changes, with a spokesperson for London Luton Airport saying its operations had not been affected.
Meanwhile operations at London Stansted Airport appeared to be running smoothly.
« Departures here are no busier than normal this morning. If anything, security was actually faster than normal, » NBC News Social Media Editor Fiona Day said.
In 2021, Heathrow celebrated its 75th anniversary since it became a commercial airport. Before that, it was a Royal Air Force airfield during World War II.
Chantal Da Silva and Zoe Holland reported from London and Phil Helsel reported from Los Angeles.