A massive power outage triggered by a fire at a nearby substation has plunged West London into darkness, forcing Heathrow Airport to shut down operations until midnight Friday (March 21).
The closure has already led to significant travel disruptions, with 120 flights rerouted to other airports and thousands of passengers stranded.
According to airport authorities, the incident has caused severe operational challenges, and it is unclear when power can be reliably restored. Heathrow's spokesperson stated that emergency crews are working to address the situation, but major electricity disruptions are expected to persist in the coming days.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicates that airlines have been diverting flights to alternative airports across Europe. For instance, a Qantas flight from Perth was redirected to Paris, while a United Airlines flight from New York landed in Shannon, Ireland. Another United flight from San Francisco was diverted to Washington, D.C. instead of London.
Some flights departing from the US were forced to turn back mid-air, returning to their original departure airports.
Heathrow Airport, which handled around 1,300 flights daily last year, ranks as the second-busiest international airport globally, behind Dubai, according to travel data firm OAG.
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