Travel disruption as Heathrow Airport shuts down after electrical substation fire in the UK
Heathrow Airport has been shut down following an unprecedented electrical substation fire, causing the cancellation of over 1,300 flights and widespread travel disruptions. UK authorities are leading the investigation into the cause.
Travel chaos has erupted at Heathrow Airport after a devastating fire at an electrical substation brought operations to a halt. The blaze, which occurred late Thursday evening, resulted in the closure of two of the airport's four terminals and the cancellation or rerouting of over 1,300 flights.
With over 291,000 passengers affected and widespread disruptions expected to continue for days, authorities are investigating the incident, with counter-terrorism experts taking the lead due to the critical nature of the infrastructure impacted.
Heathrow Airport shuts down, leaving chaos in the UK
The London Fire Brigade was called to the electrical substation in Hayes, west London, shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, with power cuts also affecting thousands of homes. More than 70 firefighters battled the blaze, which involved over 20,000 liters of oil catching fire in a transformer. By 8 a.m., the fire was under control, and although the smoke was strong, there was no danger to air quality.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, though security sources have indicated that there are no immediate signs of foul play.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that the Counter Terrorism Command is leading the inquiry due to the nature of the incident and its impact on critical infrastructure. The unit's specialized resources are essential for advancing the investigation and minimizing disruptions.
Heathrow Airport, a potential terrorism target, is particularly vulnerable to attacks or sabotage, a concern that has been growing in recent years. National Grid stated that substation fires are "extremely rare," but could not rule out any possibilities.
On Friday, over 1,350 flights were scheduled at Heathrow, with power still cut to two of its four terminals by late morning. The canceled or rerouted flights could accommodate up to 291,000 passengers, a substantial number of which were connecting or carrying freight.
Flights scheduled to Heathrow Airport got cancelled
Airline operations worldwide will experience ripple effects, with the disruptions expected to last several days. According to FlightRadar24, 120 flights were en route to Heathrow when the closure was announced, with some arriving from Asia and Australia redirected to other airports in the UK and Europe, while flights from the US returned to their points of origin.
A Heathrow spokesperson said, "To ensure the safety of our passengers and staff, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23:59 on March 21, 2025. We expect significant disruption and urge passengers not to travel to the airport until it reopens."
British Airways, which operates over half of Heathrow's flights, acknowledged the significant impact on its operations and assured customers they were working swiftly to provide updates on travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond.
IATA, the global airline association, criticized Heathrow for relying solely on one power source without a backup, calling it a "clear planning failure" by the airport. EasyJet and Ryanair, based at other airports in the UK, announced extra flights to assist stranded passengers.
National rail and coach services to Heathrow were also canceled.
The UK’s Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, labeled the fire as an “unusual and unprecedented incident,” and assured that the government was working to restore power to the airport. Supply lines were redirected to restore electricity to the 67,000 homes affected by Friday morning.
Miliband acknowledged the existence of a backup system but noted that it had also been impacted by the fire’s extent.
Alice Delahunty, National Grid’s transmission business president, confirmed that the incident was "extraordinarily rare" and declined to speculate on the fire's cause, focusing instead on restoring power.
The fire severely damaged the primary transformer at the substation, while the backup transformer suffered heat damage.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne commended the firefighters for their tireless work under challenging conditions to control the fire quickly. Emergency services arrived at the scene at 11:23 p.m., and more than 100 people were evacuated, with 29 others being led to safety by firefighters. No casualties were reported.
Heathrow, which saw significant disruptions in August 2023 due to an air traffic control failure and during the COVID-19 pandemic’s groundings, has not experienced a full closure since December 2010, when heavy snowfall caused the cancellation of 4,000 flights.
As the world’s best-connected airport, Heathrow serves 230 destinations and welcomed a record 83.9 million passengers last year. It also claims to be the UK’s largest single-site employer, with approximately 90,000 people working at the airport.