SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has resumed full service to Heathrow as the airport welcomed flights again after a major power station fire grounded planes at the London air hub.

The first SIA flight out of Changi Airport to Heathrow on Saturday (Mar 22) was SQ308, which departed at 9am. 

Other Heathrow-bound flights – SQ318, SQ322 and SQ312 – are scheduled for departure on Saturday.

Two flights from Heathrow to Singapore – SQ305 and SQ317 – were cancelled.

But other SIA flights from London on Saturday were going ahead as scheduled, according to the Heathrow Airport website.

An airport spokesperson said shortly after 4pm GMT that the facility was "now safely able to begin some flights later today".

"Our first flights will be repatriation flights and relocating aircraft," the spokesperson said. "We hope to run a full operation tomorrow. (Saturday)."

The shuttering of the world's fifth-busiest airport for most of Friday left tens of thousands searching for scarce hotel rooms and replacement seats while airlines tried to return jets and crew to bases.

The airport had been due to handle 1,351 flights on Friday, flying up to 291,000 passengers, but planes were diverted to other airports in Britain and across Europe, while many long-haul flights returned to their point of departure.

These included SQ308, which was on its way to London when it was called back to Changi Airport. 

According to data from online flight tracking service Flightradar24, the flight took off at about 9.42am and turned around off the coast of Bangladesh before landing at about 4.23pm.

Meanwhile SQ322 was diverted to Frankfurt Airport in Germany and SQ306 was diverted to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

In response to CNA’s queries on Saturday, an SIA spokesperson said a bus service was provided to ferry the affected customers from Frankfurt and Paris to London.

“Singapore Airlines is providing all necessary assistance to the affected customers,” the spokesperson said.

“These may include providing hotel accommodation or rebooking them on alternative flights, where possible.”

Heathrow Airport said on its website that although it is running all flights as scheduled, travellers are still advised to contact their airline for the latest flight information before heading to the airport.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle said the closure was set to have a "huge impact on all of our customers flying with us over the coming days".

Virgin Atlantic said it expected to operate "a near full schedule" with limited cancellations on Saturday but that the situation remained dynamic and all flights would be kept under continuous review.