London’s Heathrow Airport will remain closed until midnight following a major fire at a nearby electricity substation.
A spokesperson told Sky News that the fire caused a “significant power outage across the airport” and that there is “no clear timeline for when power may be reliably restored.”
“To ensure the safety of passengers and staff, Heathrow will remain closed until 23:59 on March 21, 2025,” the statement read. “We anticipate major disruptions in the coming days, and passengers should avoid traveling to the airport until it reopens.”
According to flight tracking site Flightradar24, at least 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow will be affected today, including around 120 flights that were already airborne on Friday morning. These flights may be diverted to alternative airports or forced to return to their departure points.
Some aircraft have already been rerouted to Gatwick, Paris, and Shannon in Ireland.
As one of the world’s busiest airports, Heathrow handled a record 83.9 million passengers last year, with a flight taking off or landing approximately every 45 seconds.
