Heathrow Airport shuts down for a day: Fire at substation, power outage, canceled flights| What we know so far
London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest air hub, plunged into chaos on Friday as a raging fire at a nearby electrical substation triggered a massive power outage, forcing the facility into a complete shutdown. Here's all that we know so far.
FollowLondon’s Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest air hub, plunged into chaos on Friday as a raging fire at a nearby electrical substation triggered a massive power outage, forcing the facility into a complete shutdown. The disruption affected global travel with airlines canceling or diverting over 1,350 flights—including multiple transatlantic journeys—leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded or rerouted.
Authorities have cautioned that the effects of the crisis could stretch on for days.
Flights canceled, diverted
The closure of Heathrow airport had a significant ripple effect across global air travel. Stranded passengers faced uncertainty as several airlines scrambled to adjust schedules, reroute flights, and manage the mounting operational nightmare.
- Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways turned back their London-bound flights to Tokyo or diverted them to Helsinki.
- Australian airline Qantas rerouted its flights from Singapore and Perth to Paris, arranging buses for passengers to reach London.
- Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific sent two overnight flights to Amsterdam and cancelled at least two daytime flights to Heathrow.
- Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways cancelled multiple flights, while some were diverted to Frankfurt.
- United Airlines saw seven flights returning to their origin or diverting, including departures from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
- National Rail suspended all train services to and from Heathrow, adding to the travel chaos.
Air India cancels all flights to London
Air India has also announced significant disruptions to its London operations after Heathrow Airport suspended all services due to a major power outage. The suspension, which will remain in effect until 23:59 London time on March 21, has forced the airline to cancel multiple flights and divert others to alternative destinations.
Incident labeled as 'extraordinary crisis'
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband labeled the incident as an extraordinary crisis, explaining that the fire didn’t just knock out Heathrow’s main power source—it also rendered the airport’s backup generator useless. The London Fire Brigade confirmed that the blaze ignited at a transformer within an electrical substation located about two miles from the airport late Thursday night.
The fire’s impact extended beyond Heathrow, plunging more than 16,300 homes and businesses in the surrounding area into darkness.
Firefighters battled the inferno for over seven relentless hours before finally bringing it under control by early Friday morning. Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne commended emergency responders, emphasizing their swift containment efforts that prevented further destruction.
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