Heathrow Airport will be closed all day on Friday due to a major fire at an electrical substation in west London. The closure comes after a transformer within the North Hyde electrical substation caught fire in Hayes, leaving thousands of homes without power and leading to the evacuation of over 100 people.
As a result of the power outage, hundreds of flights have been diverted, cancelled, or forced to return to their origin, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded and with disrupted travel plans. The closure of Europe’s busiest airport is expected to cause significant disruption for days to come.
A Heathrow spokesperson stated that the airport is experiencing a significant power outage following the fire at the nearby substation. Fire crews are currently responding to the incident, but there is no clarity on when power may be reliably restored. In the interest of passenger and staff safety, Heathrow will remain closed until 23h59 on March 21, 2025. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport until it reopens.
The closure of Heathrow Airport is expected to have widespread implications, impacting not only travelers but also airlines and airport staff. The knock-on effects of the closure are likely to be felt for days as the airport works to resume normal operations.
This incident serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the potential for major disruptions when essential services are compromised. The situation at Heathrow highlights the importance of emergency preparedness and response in the face of unforeseen events.
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Video “LIVE: Heathrow airport chaos after major fire at substation” was uploaded on 03/21/2025 to Youtube Channel The Times and The Sunday Times