KOMPUTER JADUL-, Heathrow Airport in London, England, was closed in the early hours of Friday (3/21/2025). This was done after the electrical substation, which supplies electricity to the airport and the nearby city, experienced a huge fire, in the early hours of Thursday night.
The authority of Europe's largest airport said it expected significant disruption for the next few days. Hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers were affected by flight delays to their destinations.
"Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage", the airport operator said in a statement on its website, quoted by AFP.
"Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport is reopened".
Videos circulating showed conditions inside the airport. Shops were closed while the corridors were deserted with emergency lights.
Heathrow serves more than 80 million passengers per year. The operator said there were around 1,300 planes taking off or landing every day.
The FlightRadar24 website reported that a number of flight diversions had been made. These include a Qantas flight from Perth, Australia, which was sent to Paris, and a United Airlines flight from New York, which was due to land in Shannon, Ireland.
The fire broke out at a substation in Hayes, a town close to the London borough of Hillingdon, according to the London Fire Brigade. It first broke out at 11.23pm on Thursday.
"The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of local homes and businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption", London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.
"This was a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters worked tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible", he added.
Images on social media showed large flames billowing from the scene. British utility Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said on its website that the "unplanned outage" had left more than 16,000 homes without power in the area.
Reuters reported the same thing. Eurocontrol, which manages air traffic control operations across Europe, said on its operations website that no arrivals were permitted at Heathrow due to the power outage and that diversions were planned for flights.
According to OAG (Official Airline Guide) data, Heathrow was the world's second busiest international airport in 2024, surpassing Dubai.
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