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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.
