London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest in the world, shut down operations all of Friday — disrupting over 1,000 flights across the globe — after a massive fire at a nearby electrical substation cut off power to the airport.
Flyers are being advised to avoid the airport for the entire day as planes had already begun being diverted away from the British travel hub in the early hours.
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” Heathrow said in a statement posted to X.
Footage shows a substation fire in Hayes, London, on March 20, 2025, which caused widespread outages and the closure of Heathrow Airport. Chris Brogan / SWNS
A video posted on X shows the fire near Heathrow Airport. Courtesy of X user @fire_at_Vill/AFP via Getty Images“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March.”
More than 1,300 flights are affected by the emergency closure, with potentially over 100,000 people having their travel plans altered, CNN reported.
Dozens of firefighters are battling the blaze at the substation in Hayes, London, the London Fire Brigade said in a statement.
Over 150 people have been evacuated from the affected area, which has seen businesses and homes lose power throughout the day.
“This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on the scene throughout the night. As we head into the morning, disruption is expected to increase, and we urge people to avoid the area wherever possible,” the fire agency said in the statement.
The scene following a major fire at an electrical substation at Heathrow on March 21, 2025, in London, England. Getty Images
The London Fire Brigade said around 70 firefighters were tackling the blaze in the west of London — as passengers were impacted over the travel nightmare. Chris Brogan / SWNS
The fire impacted flights around the globe. @flightradar24/XThe cause of the fire is still unknown, according to authorities.
Flights from all over the world were already being diverted to alternate airports — with planes from Perth, Paris and New York all being rerouted to Shannon, Ireland.
Some inbound Heathrow flights from the US were turned around in midair.
A United Airlines flight from San Francisco was due to land in Washington, DC, rather than completing its planned trans-Atlantic trip.
Travel chaos at Edinburgh Airport after Heathrow’s closure on March 21, 2025. Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS
Some flights from the US were turning around midair and returning to their point of departure over Friday’s closure. REUTERSBritish Airways and Virgin Atlantic have diverted flights to nearby Gatwick, according to Reuters.
Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world, connecting over 200 destinations and welcoming 83.9 million passengers in 2024, CNN reported.
”Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world,” Ian Petchenik, spokesman for FlightRadar24, told Reuters.
“This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world.”
With Post wires
