London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) will close all day after a fire broke out at a local electrical substation overnight throwing global travel into disarray.
London Fire Brigade responded to almost 200 calls reporting a fire at the substation in Hayes, a suburb of the UK capital located around three miles from Heathrow.
A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said its crews were called shortly before 23:30, local time, on March 20, 2025, and around 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters have responded to the emergency.
In a statement Heathrow Airport said that the airport was “experiencing a significant power outage” and will be closed until 23:59 on March 21, 2025, to “maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues”.
Massive fire incident at substation #hayes #westlondon #london #fire pic.twitter.com/gNciJHFR1J
— Sabby (@Sahil45BH) March 21, 2025
“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologies for the inconvenience,” a spokesperson for the airport said.
The incident will no doubt have huge ramifications for global travel and passengers with around 1,300 flights arriving and departing from Heathrow each day.
Flightradar24 is already reporting that flights are being diverted to London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
“There are currently 120 aircraft in the air that will be diverting to alternate airports or returning to their origins,” Flightradar24 said.
@BBCLondonNews There’s a huge fire in Hayes – London, looks like North Hyde Electricity sub station pic.twitter.com/PJNpbHjZxu
— Vil (@fire_at_Vill) March 20, 2025
In other updates Flightradar24 said that 679 flights were scheduled to arrive at Heathrow Airport today and 678 were scheduled to takeoff.
Among the airlines with the highest number of flights being diverted are British Airways, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and United Airlines.
Korean Air told its customers that delays and possible cancellations are expected for passengers flying to, from and through London Heathrow.
In an update from London Fire Brigade at 04:08, fire crews said that half a transponder was still alight and around 150 from the local area had been evacuated.
Images and the video shared on social media showed a huge fire that was visible from other parts of London some distance away.
“This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible. The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimize disruption,” said Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne.
As a precaution a 200-meter-wide cordon has been put in place around the fire and local residents have been advised to keep their windows and doors closed.
“This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on scene throughout the night. As we head into the morning, disruption is expected to increase, and we urge people to avoid the area wherever possible,” added Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne.
Update at 07:48 (UTC):
The London Fire Brigade has confirmed that at 06:28, local time, the blaze at the electrical substation was brought under control.
The fire brigade will be working with the Metropolitan Police Service to establish what caused the fire.
“Our fire investigators will begin their investigation & we will continue working closely with our partners to minimise disruption and support the community,” the London Fire Brigade said.
Heathrow Airport arrivals and departures
Here are some of the details from airlines that have been affected by Heathrow Airport’s closure today:
SWISS
SWISS has said it is cancelling all flights from Zurich and Geneva to Heathrow Airport today with nearly 3,000 customers affected.
“This concerns a total of 10 flights from and to Geneva with 944 booked passengers and 14 flights from and to Zurich with 1,969 booked passengers. As a precautionary measure, all flights from Switzerland to and from London Heathrow have been closed for sale tomorrow,” a spokesperson for SWISS said.
British Airways
British Airways has advised its customers not to travel to Heathrow Airport today.
“This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and customers and we’re working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond,” the airline said.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways said flights QR011, QR107, QR003, QR004, QR006, QR007 and QR008 are all impacted.
“Qatar Airways is working closely with LHR airport officials. Passengers impacted due to above will be taken care of by our customer care and airport teams,” a spokesperson for the carrier said.
Air India
The airline said: “Due to a significant power outage, London Heathrow Airport has been shut down until 23:59 on 21st March. All Air India flights to and from London Heathrow for 21st March have been cancelled.”
This is a developing story.
