London’s Heathrow Airport Closed After Fire Causes Major Power Cut
Britain’s Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, was shut down early Friday after a major fire at neighbourhood electrical substation supplying power to the sprawling facility west of London, officials said. Several flights were already being diverted, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, while airport authorities said they “expect significant disruption over the coming days”. “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the airport operator said in a statement on its website, adding it would be closed until just before midnight Friday (2359 GMT). A firefighter helps putting out a fire that broke out at a substation supplying power to Heathrow Airport in Hayes, west London on March 21, 2025. Britain’s Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, was shut down early on March 21 for 24 hours after a major fire at an electricity substation cut power to the sprawling facility west of London, officials said. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP) “Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.” London Fire Brigade said there has been a “significant” fire at a substation in Hayes, a town in the London borough of Hillingdon. “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,” said assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said. “This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible. A Qantas flight arriving from Perth was diverted to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle while a United Airlines flight from New York was due to land in Ireland’s Shannon instead. Heathrow handles more than 80 million passengers a year.
Admin | 2025-03-21 10:21:23