London's Heathrow Airport closes due to power outage caused by fire
London's Heathrow airport will not have power and will be closed till 11:59 pm on March 21 due to a fire at an electrical substation.
London's Heathrow Airport announced on Friday that it will be closed until midnight on March 21, after experiencing a power outage due to a fire at an electrical substation.
In a post on X, the airport authorities said, “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.”
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The airport authorities added, “We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.”
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The Heathrow Airport authorities also advised passengers to not travel to the airport and to contact their respective airlines for more information on their flights.
While fire crews have responded to the incident, the airport authorities told Reuters they did not have clarity on when power would be restored.
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Eurocontrol, which handles air traffic control operations across Europe, stated on it's website that no flights were allowed to arrive at Heathrow airport and that diversion plans were in place for all incoming flights.
Heathrow was the world's second-busiest international airport in 2024 behind Dubai, reported Reuters citing travel data firm OAG.
The fire at North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes, west London, has left not only the airport, but thousands of homes without power. The London Fire Brigade said a transformer within the substation had caught on fire, as reported by news agency PA Media.
Around 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters have been deployed to deal with the incident, and around 150 people have been evacuated from nearby properties. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
