Gatwick 'running normally' after Heathrow shutdown
Getty ImagesGatwick Airport said it was "operating as normal" on Friday despite a major fire that closed Heathrow Airport.
Officials at the West Sussex airport said seven flights were diverted to Gatwick from Heathrow following the shutdown which left thousands stranded.
The UK's second largest airport said it accepted arrivals originally destined to Heathrow from locations including Singapore, Johannesburg, Lagos, Cape Town and Doha.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: "We are aware of the situation at Heathrow and are supporting by accepting diverted flights where required."
Heathrow has warned of "significant disruption" over the coming days and told passengers not to travel under any circumstances until it reopens.
Counter-terror officers from the Metropolitan Police are leading the investigation into the blaze.
It is believed to be the first time the UK's busiest airport has been completely closed since 2010.
On Friday, 1,357 flights had been disrupted, including 679 arrivals and 678 departures.
A total of 120 flights were already in the air when the closure was announced.
Heathrow handled a total of 482,143 aircraft in 2024, Civil Aviation Authority data shows, equivalent to about 1,317 aircraft a day.
By comparison, the next busiest airport in the UK, Gatwick, handled 265,608 aircraft, or about 726 a day.
Annabelle Kiff, from Brighton, said she was "genuinely gutted" after her birthday trip to New York was cancelled by issues at Heathrow.
The 24-year-old, who was due to celebrate her 25th birthday in the US on Sunday, said she and her partner Max woke up in the early hours of the morning to prepare to go to the airport only to find the news of the disruption.
"I'm very disappointed. There were a lot of tears this morning and I was really upset," she said.
"We sat there in the dark not knowing what to do but we decided not to get on the coach. It felt like a lost cause.
"It's a real shame, but hopefully we'll have a nice weekend here in Sussex instead."
Ms Kiff said she had been offered a full refund on her flights and package holiday, which she booked through British Airways, and would aim to re-book the trip at a later date.
EPANational Express suspended all services to Heathrow on Friday, but said Gatwick coaches would "operate as normal".
Meanwhile, National Highways said the planned M25 closure at Wisley Interchange in Surrey will still go ahead on Friday night despite the shutdown at Heathrow.
Jonathan Wade, project manager, said: "The events at Heathrow have meant that consideration has been given into the impact of an M25 closure.
"We remain on target for the closure from 9pm tonight."
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