Heathrow Airport is the biggest airport in the UK in terms of footfall every day. Many of the international flights arrive and take off from here. In short, it is the heart of the air traffic in Britain. And the heart just had a cardiac arrest.
At approximately 11 p.m. on Thursday, a fire started at an electrical station on Nestles Avenue in Hayes, West London. This caused a significant power outage.
The London fire department was summoned to get the fire under control. Before the fire brigade could arrive, thousands of households and the busiest airport in Europe lost power.
After more than 70 firemen battled the fire, the brigade declared it was under control at 8 a.m. Officers from the Met Police SO15 counter-terrorism command reportedly showed up at the scene.
At this point, there is no indication that there has been a terrorist attack. There is no evidence of any foreign state being involved either. However, the cause of the fire is still unknown.
Heathrow is the largest airport in Britain and one of the busiest in the world. There are more than 1,350 flights coming in or flying out of the airport. The closure on Friday is anticipated to immediately impact all flights.
FlightRadar24 is an online flight tracking website. It claims that 120 aircraft were operating at Heathrow when the closure was announced.
⚠️ Power station near Heathrow in flames – and no, I don’t believe in coincidences.
A substation near London’s Heathrow Airport caught fire, shutting down one of the busiest airports in the world. Thousands of homes are now without electricity. The cause is “unknown,” but… pic.twitter.com/Ut4hxYx5QO
— Devana 🇺🇦 (@DevanaUkraine) March 21, 2025
Worldwide airline operations will be impacted due to this shutdown. The ripple effects may persist for a few days. Up to 291,000 passengers might have been carried on Fridays, when flights were immediately cancelled or redirected. Many of these passengers would have connected further and carried freight.
Some flights returned to their departure locations. Many other flights were rerouted to other airports in Britain and Europe. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways stated their flights were running normally. Despite that some of their aircraft were diverted to neighbouring Gatwick.
⚠️ Why are flights to Heathrow delayed, canceled, or diverted due to the power outage?
A major outage can disrupt:
✈️ Air Traffic Control systems
💡 Runway & taxiway lighting
🛄 Baggage & check-in systems
⛽ Fueling & ground operationsEven with backups, safety comes first! https://t.co/MZrP9xtOvK pic.twitter.com/DRbz4jsALz
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) March 21, 2025
Heathrow has released a statement saying that the airport will remain closed until March 22, 2025. It is to ensure the safety of all passengers and coworkers. Airport authorities are also suggesting travelers avoid going to Heathrow, which may cause major disruptions over the next few days.
They have also added that citizens, travellers, and passengers will be informed of any developments in the current situation as and when they happen. They want to reassure passengers that authorities are doing everything they can to address the issue, even though we know it will be disappointing.
British Airways runs slightly more than half of the flights from Heathrow. In a statement released by the airline, they claim that there will be an obvious and significant impact on their operation.
Today’s total closure of London-Heathrow will affect at least 1,351 flights to/from LHR.
That doesn’t include any flights that might be canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position. pic.twitter.com/WikVJsCxDK
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 21, 2025
They want to reassure their clients that they are doing everything to make the situation much better for them. They also promised to keep their passengers updated.
Ed Miliband is the UK’s energy secretary. He has described the episode as “unusual and unprecedented.”
On Friday morning, supply lines were altered to restore electricity to the majority of the 100,000 impacted residences. He stated that the government would make every effort to restore power to the airport.
