London: Major disruption as Heathrow Airport closed all day after nearby fire causes power outage

No flights will run to or from Heathrow Airport in London on Friday after the airport was shut due to a fire at a nearby power station. Passengers have been warned to stay away, with disruption likely to last for days.

Heathrow Airport is to remain shut until midnight after a large fire at a nearby electricity substation, disrupting travel for thousands of passengers.

Tracking site Flightradar24 estimates 1,357 flights would be affected (679 into and 678 out of Heathrow) today, including around 120 which were already in the air this morning before the shutdown.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Sky News "it was too early to know" what caused the "catastrophic fire".

Passengers have been warned to stay away from the airport and all trains to Heathrow have been suspended.

"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025," Heathrow said in a statement.

"We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens."

Planes usually begin landing and taking off at around 5am after the regular overnight quiet period.

Around 120 flights were bound for Heathrow when the airport announced it would be closing for the day. Some will have turned back to the airport they departed from. But others were already crossing the Atlantic and have been diverted to airports in Europe

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

Data from Flightradar24 shows Amsterdam has taken the most diversions at seven, while Gatwick, Frankfurt and Shannon have all taken six flights each.

Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports and had a record 83.9 million passengers last year, with a plane landing or taking off around every 45 seconds.

Stranded passengers

Flightradar24 estimates that means there are about 220,000 passengers using the hub every day.

Its total closure is set to have knock-on effects on airline operations around the world for several days to come.

Matt, who is waiting at Canada's Vancouver International Airport, told Sky News that British Airways "have been great" and they had been rebooked for a flight on Saturday. "Fingers crossed Heathrow is open!" he added.

But Raman who is stuck in Dubai said: "Flight keeps getting delayed - just seems crazy that BA won't cancel it considering Heathrow is closed anyway." Meanwhile Tom Singleton, also in Dubai, agreed. "The communication has been woeful. Email advising to check flight status before travelling to airport. Flight status shows 'on time'."

British Airways, the biggest carrier at Heathrow, reiterated that customers should not go to the airport until further notice.

A statement said: "This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we're working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond."

Gatwick Airport said in a statement that it is "supporting by accepting diverted flights as required" and that it is operating "as normal today".

Meanwhile Ryanair has launched what it is calling eight "rescue flights" for passengers affected by the Heathrow closure.

credit: Skynews