The fire in a substation has cut power to Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports.
The fire in a substation has cut power to Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports.
London’s busy Heathrow Airport has been forced into an unprecedented closure after a blaze caused a major power outage.
The airport will be closed until midnight Friday (British time) after the fire at a nearby electrical substation late on Thursday, throwing the travel plans of thousands of people into chaos.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” Heathrow Airport said in a post on X.
It advised passengers not to travel to the airport “under any circumstances”.
Fire crews were responding to the fire on Friday but there was no clarity on when power might be reliably restored, a Heathrow spokesperson told Reuters.
They said they expected significant disruption in coming days.
Eurocontrol, which manages air traffic control operations across Europe, said on its operations website arrivals into Heathrow had been halted due to the power outage. Flights were being diverted.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24, said there had already been dozens of diversions to other airports, with Qantas sending its flight from Perth to Paris and a United Airlines New York flight heading to Shannon, Ireland.
A United Airlines flight from San Francisco was due to land in Washington rather than London.
Some flights from the US have turned around mid-air and returning to their point of departure.
Heathrow was the world’s second-busiest international airport in 2024 behind Dubai, according to travel data firm OAG.
The London Fire Brigade said its crews were tackling the fire at the North Hyde Electricity Substation in Hayes, west London. About 150 people had been evacuated.
“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,” London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.
“Firefighters have led 29 people to safety from neighbouring properties, and as a precaution, a 200-metre cordon has been established, with around 150 people evacuated.”
Goulbourne said it would be “a prolonged incident”
“As we head into the morning, disruption is expected to increase, and we urge people to avoid the area wherever possible,” he said.
-with AAP