Huge fire closes UK’s Heathrow Airport, hundreds of flights disrupted
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London's Heathrow Airport was closed Friday after a fire caused a power outage, disrupting flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
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Emergency services are seen at the scene in Roseville Road, West London on March 21, 2025, near the North Hyde substation, which caught fire Thursday night. (AP)
Heathrow Airport in Britain announced it would remain closed all day Friday due to a massive fire at a nearby electrical substation that knocked out power, causing global flight disruptions.
The London Fire Brigade reported that approximately 70 firefighters were working to control the blaze in western London, which led to a widespread power outage at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport and the fifth-busiest in the world.
Large orange flames and thick smoke were visible rising into the sky, and around 150 people were evacuated from nearby buildings. Thousands of properties were left without electricity.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, according to the fire brigade.
"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March," Heathrow Airport said in a post on X, adding that passengers were advised not to travel to the airport.
Fire at Hayes sub station has lead to blackout in most of west London area. Heathrow airport included. pic.twitter.com/VwwTWxnn0d
— Senores (@naseefinish) March 21, 2025
⚠️ Power station near Heathrow in flames – and no, I don’t believe in coincidences.
— Devana 🇺🇦 (@DevanaUkraine) March 21, 2025
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
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported that at least 120 inbound flights to Heathrow were diverted to other airports, while 1,351 flights were scheduled to land and take off from Heathrow on Friday.
Industry experts warned of widespread global disruptions in tourism, travel, and trade, as flights were canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position.
British Airways had 341 flights scheduled to land at Heathrow on Friday.
"This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers, and we are working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond," it said.
The fire caused flights to divert globally.
Qantas Airways rerouted its flight from Perth to Paris, a United Airlines flight from New York headed to Shannon, Ireland, and another United Airlines flight from San Francisco was set to land in Washington, D.C. instead of London.
Several flights from the US were forced to turn around mid-air and return to their departure points.
"Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world," said Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24. "This is going to disrupt airlines' operations around the world."
