Passengers to and from the UK can expect major delays and disruptions to their plans after London’s Heathrow Airport said it will shut operations until midnight of March 21.
The action was necessitated after a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a significant power outage at the airport.
Disruption at London Heathrow
On an X.com post, the airport said: “Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information.
“We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage.To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March.Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport… pic.twitter.com/7SWNJP8ojd— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) March 21, 2025
Heathrow is the fifth-busiest airport in the world. It has more than 1,400 takeoffs and landings daily and handles an average of 230,000 passengers.
Emirates flies six daily flights to Heathrow, while Etihad has four.
An airport spokesperson added: “We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.”
Eurocontrol, which handles air traffic control operations across Europe, said on its website that no flights were allowed to arrive at Heathrow Airport and that diversion plans were in place for all incoming flights.
PA reported that the fire was at the North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes, west London. The London Fire Brigade said a transformer within the substation had caught on fire. Apart from the airport, thousands of homes are without power.
Around 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters have been deployed to deal with the incident, and around 150 people have been evacuated from nearby properties. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 11:23 PM on Thursday (03:23 AM Friday UAE time).
