Heathrow Airport was forced to suspend operations on Friday following a significant power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation that supplies power to the airport.
The incident prompted authorities to prioritize safety, leading to the temporary closure of one of the world’s busiest airports.
Heathrow announced on its official X (formerly Twitter) account that it would remain closed until 23:59 on Friday, March 21, citing safety concerns.
Passengers have been advised to avoid the airport, contact their airlines for updates, and apologized to for the inconvenience.
The statement read: “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 and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
More Insight
Providing further details, News.AZ International reported that fire crews were still addressing the situation. The report highlighted a statement from a Heathrow spokesperson to Reuters, noting that there was no clear timeline for restoring power, with passengers warned to expect significant disruptions in the coming days.
- Additionally, Eurocontrol, the agency managing European air traffic, revealed that no arrivals were being permitted at Heathrow, and diversion plans were in place for impacted flights. The London Fire Brigade confirmed that its crews were tackling the fire in Hayes, west London, and had evacuated around 150 people as a precautionary measure.
- Nairametrics also reviewed an email sent to a British Airways passenger, which shed more light on the scale of disruption caused by the power outage. The email sent at 6:21 a.m. on Friday informed passengers that Heathrow would remain closed until further notice due to the outage.
“Due to a significant power outage in the London Heathrow area, London Heathrow Airport will be closed until further notice,” the mail read in part.
It advised travelers to avoid the airport unless they had confirmed their flight status.
What you should know
Heathrow was the world’s second-busiest international airport in 2024, behind Dubai, according to OAG.
- The airport is named after the village of Heathrow, formerly located where Terminal 3 now stands.
- Heathrow began in 1946 as a tented village, serving 18 destinations with 9,000 flights annually. The first departure, on January 1, 1946, was a flight to Buenos Aires via Lisbon.
- Terminal 2, originally the Europa Building, opened in 1955 for short-haul flights.
- Terminal 1 was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1969 and closed in 2015. Terminal 3 opened in 1961, Terminal 4 in 1986, and Terminal 5 in 2008, following a public inquiry lasting nearly four years.
