Scotland fans stuck in Greece 'staying for a party'

Scotland fans have been stuck in Athens following the side's 1-0 win over Greece after a fire near London's Heathrow grounded all flights.

Supporters returning to Scotland from the Greek capital have had to find alternative routes home via Dublin, Milan and Istanbul due to disruption caused by an electrical substation blaze.

British Airways services from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness to Heathrow - which is Europe's busiest airport - have also been affected.

But the Tartan Army remain in good spirits as a result of the side's victory - with some saying they'll stay in Greece for a celebration.

Passengers are advised to check whether their flights have been affected and contact the airline for further details.

Gavin Keith and Edith Stewart, from Aberdeen, only found out about the disruption when they woke up in Athens on Friday morning.

They were part of a group booking back to Aberdeen via Heathrow on a BA service.

They have since been told they will be on a 17:00 flight to Heathrow, but are not confident that will go ahead.

However they remain in good spirits.

"If we can't get out of here tonight, we'll stay for a party," Edith said.

"It's the chance you take when you are travelling. I would prefer to get home tonight or tomorrow because I have commitments at home.

"We know Heathrow is shut all day, the airlines are giving us the next available flight, but it's just a case of waiting."

BBC journalist Thomas Mackintosh had been due to fly into Heathrow after watching the victory at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland fellow fans had been looking for alternative ways to get home.

He said: "We've heard some pretty wacky routes so far from friends of ours. Some are going via Dublin, some are going via Rome, Milan, Istanbul I've heard as well.

"It's inconvenient for sure, but it can't be helped at the minute and the Greek authorities have been really helpful.

"Fortunately we have been able to book on another flight, but that has come at a bit of an expense, about €500 (£418)."

Graeme Shinny from Aberdeen has paid £500 for a flight from Athens to Dublin at 21:30.

He'll arrive in Ireland at around midnight before an overnight stay in the airport.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: "I've made the most of my extra day in Athens, I have done a bit of sightseeing and bumped into lots of people in the same boat as me.

"Some aren't in a particular rush to get back. For me, I had to get back."

He hopes to be back in Aberdeen at 09:30 on Saturday in time for the Scotland v Greece second leg on Sunday and his son's birthday on Monday.

Scott McTominay scored the only goal of the match as Steve Clarke's side claimed a vital first leg win in the tie.

Greece visit Hampden on Sunday for the return leg.

Paige Mackintosh, who was also at Athens Airport, said from her point of view half the Tartan Army were still in bed when the Heathrow news broke.

"Everyone is in quite good spirits," she said. "I think because it's not like a baggage strike.

"It was a really good game, a really good build up that we had."

More than 1,300 flights will be disrupted after a transformer within the North Hyde electrical substation caught fire in west London.

It caused a power outage at the airport, with flights grounded as a result for safety reasons.

The backlog is expected to last several days.

About 120 flights to the airport were in the air when the closure was announced.

They were diverted to various locations across the UK and Europe, including a flight from JFK, which landed at Glasgow Airport.

A spokesperson for Heathrow said they did not know when electrical supplies would be restored.

Travel writer Simon Calder told Good Morning Scotland the scale of the shutdown was the largest since the Icelandic volcano eruption in 2010.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said 10 outbound and 12 inbound services had been affected by the fire.

They added that BA flights were the only services to be grounded and all others were operating normally.

About 2,800 passengers are understood to be affected.

Glasgow Airport has activated its "plan 39" protocol, meaning spare slots at the airport are allocated based on need.

Glasgow has taken five flights in this morning, two from Virgin Atlantic and three BA transatlantic services.

A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which operates Aberdeen and Glasgow Airports, said: "Our airports are operating as normal apart from all flights to and from London Heathrow which have been cancelled for the remainder of the day.

"Any passenger scheduled to fly to Heathrow should contact their airline directly before travelling to the airport"

Meanwhile, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), which runs Inverness Airport, confirmed the 10:00 arrival from Heathrow and the 11:05 departure to the airport were cancelled.

HIAL also said planned arrivals and departures from Dundee Airport to Heathrow on LoganAir had been cancelled.

All airports will be liaising with the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) about accepting flight diversions throughout the day.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? travel said passengers may not be entitled to compensation if their flight was cancelled.

However they may be able to claim a refund for the flight and parking fees through their insurance provider.

He said: "Passengers will have the choice of being rerouted or accepting a refund, and if you opt for the former, your airline is obliged to get you on a new flight as soon as possible, including with rival carriers from alternative airports.

"If you instead accept a refund, be aware that your airline will have no further duty of care to you and you'll need to make your own arrangements.

"It's also worth checking the terms of your travel insurance to see if you are able to recoup any other expenses you may have incurred as a result of this incident, such as car hire or airport parking fees."