London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) was forced to shut down earlier this morning due to a fire at an electrical substation near the airport which resulted in a power outage.
Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in Europe and one of the busiest in the world which means this outage will have an impact on flight operations across the continent for days to come.
The airport stated that it expects to remain closed throughout the day on Friday, until at least midnight local time. Heathrow Airport was expected to handle 669 arriving flights during the day on Friday.
British Airways, the flag carrier of Great Britain and the largest airline at London-Heathrow was expected to see 341 arrivals at the airport today. The majority of its long-haul flights have returned to their points of origin while others diverted to airports across Europe.
London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) along with Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) and Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris have received the bulk of the diversions which is placing a strain on operations at those airports as well. Passengers have been advised not to travel to the airport and to contact their airline instead.
British Airways issued the following statement on X in response to the situation:
A statement from British Airways following the disruption at London Heathrow Airport on 21 March pic.twitter.com/WGUZiBbJ9n
— British Airways (@British_Airways) March 21, 2025
In addition to the issues affecting the airport, rail transportation and traffic signals in the area have been impacted making transport difficult in the area around the airport.
Update: Select Flights Departing Friday Evening
Earlier today, British Airways announced that select long-haul flights would be allowed to depart beginning at 7:00p local time. Eight flights in total will be departing this evening to the following destinations:
- Buenos Aires via Rio de Janeiro (BA249)
- Cape Town (BA45/BA59)
- Johannesburg (BA55/BA57)
- Riyadh (BA259)
- Singapore (BA11)
- Sydney via Singapore (BA15)
Updated statement from British Airways following the disruption at London Heathrow Airport on 21 March pic.twitter.com/ApBSFezdoC
— British Airways (@British_Airways) March 21, 2025
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Summary
A massive fire at an electrical substation has caused a power outage at London’s Heathrow Airport that is expected to last throughout the day on Friday. Aircraft have been forced to divert throughout Europe or return to their origin due to the closure. This will have a downstream impact on flight operations for days to come as airlines work to get aircraft and crew back into position.