Heathrow Airport Closes After Fire Causes Power Outage

London’s Heathrow Airport closed on Friday after a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a power outage, disrupting travel for tens of thousands of passengers planning to fly in or out of Europe’s busiest airport.

The first flight since the closure departed late Friday local time, and Heathrow posted on X that it hopes to run a "full operation" on Saturday.

More than 800 flights were canceled in and out of the airport on Friday, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware, as of the most recent update, upending travel at the major hub and connecting airport.

Airlines warned travelers that disruptions could continue into the weekend, and Heathrow posted that travelers shouldn’t go to the airport unless advised to do so by their airline.

Canceled and diverted flights

More than 120 flights were already in the air when the closure was announced and were diverted or returned to their originating airports, according to Flightradar24. Nearly three-quarters of the flights scheduled to depart from Heathrow, or 500 flights, and half of the arrivals destined for the airport, 300 flights, were also scrubbed.

‘Catastrophic’ fire

The fire, which was described as "catastrophic" by Ed Miliband, U.K. energy minister, and "like a fire they’ve never, kind of, quite seen anything like the scale of what happened before" by National Grid, left thousands of travelers stranded.

It makes Heathrow look quite vulnerable

Heathrow Airport has an estimated 1,300 takeoffs and landings at the airport per day, according to its website. It handled a record 83.9 million passengers last year – a nearly 6% increase from 2023.

Very wide implications

Anita Mendiratta, a travel and tourism advisor and founder of consultancy AM&A, described the implications of the fire and closure of the airport as "very wide."

Conclusion

The fire at the electrical substation has caused significant disruptions to travel at Heathrow Airport, with hundreds of flights canceled and thousands of passengers affected. The airport is working to resume operations as soon as possible, but travelers are advised not to go to the airport unless advised to do so by their airline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What caused the power outage at Heathrow Airport?
A: A fire at a nearby electrical substation caused the power outage.

Q: How many flights were canceled due to the power outage?
A: Over 800 flights were canceled in and out of the airport on Friday.

Q: When is Heathrow Airport expected to reopen?
A: The airport hopes to run a "full operation" on Saturday.

Q: What is the current status of flights?
A: Airlines are warning travelers that disruptions could continue into the weekend.

Q: What is being done to resolve the issue?
A: The airport and airlines are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, with the airport posting updates on its website and social media platforms.

Q: Who is investigating the fire?
A: The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the fire.