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Heathrow Airport is closed until 23:59 on March 21 due to a major power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Passengers are advised to avoid the airport route.
Video screengrabs show fire at Heathrow airport’s electrical substation (Social Media)
London’s Heathrow Airport closed down until midnight on March 21 (UK time) after it experienced a significant power outage due to a fire at an electrical substation.
The airport authorities also urged passengers to avoid travelling towards the airport and said passengers should contact their airline for information.
“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,” a post on the airport’s X handle read.
“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience,” it added.
Reuters quoted an airport spokesperson as saying that fire crews were responding to the incident. However, there was no clarity on when power may be reliably restored.
The London Fire Brigade said its crews were tackling the fire and had evacuated around 150 people as a precaution, it said.
The report also quoted Eurocontrol, which manages air traffic control operations across Europe, as saying that on its operations website, no arrivals were being allowed at Heathrow due to the power outage and there were diversion plans in place for flights.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, some diversions to other airports were already occurring, with Qantas Airways sending its flight from Perth to Paris and a United Airlines New York flight heading to Shannon, Ireland.
Meanwhile, multiple videos on social media showed massive flames at the airport’s electrical substation.
🚨 BREAKING: Heathrow Airport says it will be closed all day due to significant power outage caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances” pic.twitter.com/jeqEqb8BX6
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) March 21, 2025
Multiple videos shared by Russian Television also showed flames around the airport.
Another video showed thick smoke billowing from a building, believed to be the electrical substation at Heathrow Airport.
BREAKING: London firefighters are battling a massive fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, prompting evacuations and power outages in the area. pic.twitter.com/7VDycBvaxE— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) March 21, 2025
Heathrow was the world’s second-busiest international airport in 2024 behind Dubai, according to travel data firm OAG.
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