Heathrow Airport shuts down for 24 hrs after fire sparks major power outage

London's Heathrow Airport has been shut down for 24 hours after fire at electrical substation causes major power outage; all flights cancelled, 120 arrivals diverted

London’s Heathrow Airport announced on Friday that it will remain closed for at least 24 hours following a major power outage caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation. All incoming and outgoing flights have been cancelled.  

 

The fire was first reported around 11.30 pm (5 am IST) on Thursday, prompting firefighters to respond. The airport officially declared its closure at 2 am (7.30 am) on Friday.  

BREAKING: London Heathrow Airport has been closed due to power outages caused by electrical substation fire in Hayes which is being battled by dozens of firefighters.pic.twitter.com/ltYjTvx3wD

— Hexdline (@HexdlineNews) March 21, 2025

In a post on X, the Heathrow 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 11.59 pm on March 21. 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

  A spokesperson noted that there is still no clarity on when operations at Europe’s busiest airport will resume, news agency Reuters reported.

 

According to flight tracking service Flightradar, at least 120 flights scheduled to arrive at Heathrow will need to be diverted due to the shutdown.  

 

London-Heathrow will be closed for ALL of Friday due to a “significant power outage” caused by a fire in an electrical substation.  There are currently 120 aircraft in the air that will be diverting to alternate airports or returning to their origins. https://t.co/TEHf2kJO23 pic.twitter.com/Lot0lsJLz8

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 21, 2025

  Meanwhile, ten fire engines were dispatched to tackle the blaze, which broke out about three kilometres north of Heathrow. The incident has also caused power disruptions, leaving thousands of homes in West London without electricity, as reported by local media.   

The Scottish and Southern Electricity Network, which provides power to nearly four million homes across central and southern England, as well as northern Scotland, confirmed that the fire occurred at the North Hyde substation. The company stated that emergency services were already on-site responding to the situation.

“The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption,” London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said, as quoted by Reuters.

Air India halts flight operations

Air India announced on Friday that its flight operations from London’s Heathrow Airport had been temporarily halted following the airport's decision to remain closed until midnight on March 21 due to a power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation.  

 

In a statement, the airline said, “Our operations to and from London Heathrow (LHR) have been disrupted following the temporary suspension of operations at the airport until 11:59 pm London time of March 21, after a significant power outage.”  

 

Air India confirmed that flight AI129 from Mumbai to London Heathrow was returning to Mumbai, while flight AI161 from Delhi was being rerouted to Frankfurt.  

 

“All our remaining flights to and from London Heathrow, including AI111 of this morning, have been cancelled for 21 March. We will update about resumption of operations as soon as we have more information. Flights to London Gatwick remain unaffected,” the statement added. 

#ImportantUpdate  Due to a significant power outage, London Heathrow Airport has been shut down until 23:59 on 21st March. All Air India flights to and from London Heathrow for 21st March have been cancelled.  For more information or assistance, please call our Contact Centre at…

— Air India (@airindia) March 21, 2025

  Heathrow ranks among the world’s busiest airports. In a 2024 report by OAG, a global travel data provider, it was placed fourth, with more than 51 million seats booked on flights — marking a 4 per cent increase from the previous year. Additionally, it was the busiest airport in Europe in 2023.

 

[With agency inputs]