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Heathrow closure disrupts thousands due to substation fire

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Heathrow closure disrupts thousands due to substation fire
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Geoffrey Thomas Editor-In-Chief - US Bureau Chief | Airline Ratings

At least 120 aircraft were en route to London's Heathrow Airport when it unexpectedly closed on March 21, 2025. This closure was due to a significant fire at the North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes, West London, which caused a power outage. The blaze started around 23:30 GMT on March 20 and required over 70 firefighters to control.

The sudden shutdown of Europe's busiest airport affected more than 1,300 flights and disrupted travel plans for approximately 300,000 passengers. Flights arriving from long-haul destinations like Cape Town, Singapore, and the US had to return or divert to other airports such as Gatwick, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Shannon, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Manchester. Major airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and American Airlines experienced severe disruptions with numerous cancellations and rerouted flights.

The closure of this critical aviation hub led to global disruptions. Airports like London Gatwick faced operational challenges as they accommodated diverted aircraft. Gatwick received two Airbus A380s among other large aircraft models like Boeing Dreamliners and Boeing 777s during this period.

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Efforts by engineers and emergency services gradually restored power at Heathrow by the evening of March 21. A British Airways A350-1000 was the first plane to land after restoration efforts began. Essential systems such as air traffic control and baggage handling were reactivated in phases for safety reasons. By early March 22, limited operations resumed at Heathrow with priority given to stranded passengers and essential flights.

As of midday on March 22, flight schedules remained heavily disrupted while airlines worked on repositioning their aircraft and crew members.

Despite these challenges, Heathrow's rapid response teams received praise for their quick actions in minimizing further disruptions. An investigation is underway into the cause of the fire to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Heathrow serves as a base for about 90 airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. It is Europe's largest airport with over 83.9 million passengers passing through its terminals in 2024.

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