What we know about Heathrow Airport closure as flights grounded
Here is what we know about the fire that caused the power outage, the number of flights affected and what passengers need to know about their rights.
Friday 21 March 2025 19:49, UK
Flights have begun landing at Heathrow, after it was shut down for around 16 hours following a fire at a nearby electrical substation which supplies power to the airport on Friday.
Europe's biggest airport said it planned to return to a full operation on Saturday.
The blaze broke out late on Thursday evening, just before midnight, leaving Heathrow, about 1.5 miles away, with a "significant power outage" and "no choice but to close".
Follow live updates on Heathrow closure
At least 1,300 flights were expected to be affected, including 120 that were already in the air in the early hours of Friday, with global travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers disrupted.
Here's what we know so far.
What's the latest news on the airport reopening?
Just after 4pm on Friday, a Heathrow spokesperson said the airport was "safely able to begin some flights later today".
The first flights were repatriation flights and relocating aircraft, with Heathrow working with airlines to bring back the passengers diverted to other airports across Europe.
"We hope to run a full operation tomorrow and will provide further information shortly," the spokesperson added.
"Our priority remains the safety of our passengers and those working at the airport. As the busiest airport in Europe, Heathrow uses as much energy as a small city, therefore getting back to a full and safe operation takes time. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this incident."
The first flight to land at Heathrow since the closure touched down just after 6pm.
The British Airways BAW35JG flight arrived from Gatwick Airport.
British Airways said it has been given clearance for eight long-haul flights to depart Heathrow from 7pm on Friday.
They were BA055 to Johannesburg, BA057 to Johannesburg, BA011 to Singapore, BA259 to Riyadh, BA045 to Cape Town, BA059 to Cape Town, BA015 to Sydney via Singapore, and BA249 to Buenos Aires via Rio de Janeiro.
BA says the only customers who should make their way to Heathrow are those booked on to those flights.
Earlier, the airport said it expected "significant disruption over the coming days" and warned passengers "not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens". All trains to Heathrow were suspended.
However, Heathrow Airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye later told reporters the flights taking off on Friday evening would help make sure the airport has "operations in place for tomorrow morning".
He continued: "Tomorrow morning we expect to be back in full operation, so 100% operation as a normal day."
What do we know about the fire?
The Met Police said on Friday evening that the cause of fire is believed to be non-suspicious.
Fire crews were called to reports of a transformer on fire at North Hyde substation in Hayes, west London, at 11.23pm on Thursday, the London Fire Brigade (LFB said).
Drone footage from above the site, which is around 1.5 miles from the airport, showed huge flames billowing across the AG百家乐在线官网line with thick black smoke.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called it an "unprecedented situation" that was "outside of Heathrow's control".
In a news briefing on Friday, LFB deputy commissioner Jonathan Smith said: "The fire involved a transformer comprising of 25,000 litres of cooling oil fully alight."
Emergency services were on scene within five minutes of the first call, LFB added.
Some 29 people were "led to safety" immediately due to their proximity to the fire, with a further 150 evacuated from within a 200-metre cordon.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known, but counter-terrorism police, the Metropolitan Police and LFB are investigating.
A total of 67,000 homes lost power, but it had been restored to all but 5,000 properties by the early hours of Friday. Heathrow Terminal 2 and Terminal 4 still have no power, the fire brigade said.
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Flight cancelled? These are your rights
Police in the capital declared a major incident at 12.42am, Mr Smith said.
Just after 2am, Heathrow Airport issued a statement confirming it was "experiencing a significant power outage" due to the fire.
"Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored," it said.
"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 11.59pm on 21 March 2025.
"We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens."
Some 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines were sent to the scene from nearby stations, with LFB warning it would be a "prolonged incident".
The LFB said in a statement that 5% of the fire was still alight as of 7pm on Friday evening.
A foam blanket was used to reduce the temperature and mitigate against any toxic substances, the LFB said, with scientists on-site evaluating the current air quality as "good".
How many flights are cancelled?
Flights usually begin landing and taking off from Heathrow at 5am after the mandated overnight quiet period.
Although the exact number of flights impacted has not yet been confirmed, according to Flightradar24, at least 1,351 were scheduled to go in and out of Heathrow on Friday.
Around 120 planes that had already taken off from destinations around the world were turned around or diverted to other airports - including Gatwick, Shannon in Ireland, and Paris.
Mr Woldbye apologised to disrupted passengers but said "this is as big as it gets for our airport" and that "we cannot guard ourselves 100%".
Gatwick Airport said it was "supporting by accepting diverted flights as required" and is operating "as normal today".
Stansted said in a statement: "We have capacity for a small number of diverts but as yet we haven't received any requests."
A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said none of its flights will be delayed or cancelled due to Heathrow diversions, adding: "We will assist with landing any diverted aircraft during the Heathrow closure today and work with those LHR airlines to repatriate their customers upon arrival into Birmingham."
Edinburgh Airport advised all British Airways (BA) passengers flying from there this morning not to travel to the airport.
BA, the largest operator at the airport, said in its statement: "Due to a power outage in the London Heathrow area, London Heathrow Airport is currently closed.
"As a result, customers due to travel from Heathrow on Friday are advised not to travel to the airport until further notice.
"This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we're working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond."
How busy is Heathrow normally?
Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports and had a record 83.9 million passengers last year, with a plane landing or taking off around every 45 seconds.
The figure, from the Civil Aviation Authority, is equivalent to about 229,000 passengers using the hub every day.
Meanwhile, Aviation analytics firm Cirium told the New York Times that it believes as many as 290,000 passengers could be affected today - enough to fill Wembley Stadium three times.
The airport is the base for 90 airlines, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Lufthansa.
It connects London with 230 destinations across 90 countries. The most popular destination is New York.
Its two runways compare with four at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt - and six at Amsterdam Schiphol.
More than 90,000 people work at Heathrow - making it the UK's largest single-site employer.
What are my rights if I've been affected?
Your flight is covered by UK law if it departs from or arrives at a UK airport and operates on a UK or EU airline, or arrives at an EU airport on a UK airline.
If your flight is cancelled, the airline must either give you a refund or book you on an alternative flight.
You can get your money back for all parts of a ticket you haven't used, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says.
While you are unable to fly to your destination, your airline is obliged to provide you with:
• A reasonable amount of food and drink;
• A means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of your calls);
• Accommodation, if you are re-routed the next day;
• Transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there).
Those who are flying to the UK from outside Europe are not covered and should try to claim through travel insurance instead.