Substation fire forces Heathrow Airport shutdown, causing widespread travel chaos

London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest air hub, was forced into a full-day shutdown on Friday, March 21, after a major fire at a nearby electrical substation triggered a severe power outage. The incident began shortly after 11pm on Thursday when the London Fire Brigade responded to reports of a blaze at the North Hyde electrical substation in west London.

The Guardian reported that the fire resulted in more than 16,000 homes losing power and forced over 100 residents to evacuate. Firefighters led 29 people from surrounding properties to safety as the fire raged within the substation’s transformer. A large emergency response was launched, with ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters on the scene at Nestles Avenue in Hayes. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The power failure caused immediate and widespread disruption at Heathrow Airport, forcing the cancellation or diversion of more than 1,350 flights. According to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, 679 scheduled landings and 678 departures were affected, with 120 flights already airborne when the shutdown was announced.

“This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world,” said Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24. “Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world.”

Airlines scrambled to respond, with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic diverting flights to nearby Gatwick Airport, which confirmed its services were operating as normal. Other international carriers also rerouted, including Qantas, which diverted its Perth to London flight to Paris, and United Airlines, whose New York flight was sent to Shannon, Ireland. Several US flights turned back mid-air to their departure airports.

A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed the airport would remain closed until 23h59 on March 21, 2025. The full scale of the disruption is expected to continue in the days ahead as investigations into the cause of the substation fire continue.