A Virgin Atlantic flight headed to London was compelled to return to Antigua late last night following the unexpected closure of Heathrow Airport.

The plane, which was transporting 234 passengers and crew members, safely touched down at V.C. Bird International Airport around 4 a.m.

Heathrow is currently shut down due to an ongoing fire at a nearby electrical substation.

This incident has caused a significant power outage affecting Terminals 2 and 4, with more than 5,000 homes in the vicinity also impacted.

Airport authorities have confirmed that all operations will be suspended throughout Friday, leading to major disruptions and affecting over 1,350 flights.

Virgin Atlantic has declared the cancellation of all its flights to and from Heathrow until at least 5:30 p.m. EST on March 21 and is urging customers to avoid traveling to the airport. British Airways has issued a similar warning.