London, Heathrow: More than 1,300 flights to and from Heathrow Airport will be disrupted on Friday, March 21, due to a power outage caused by a fire at the North Hyde electrical substation in west London. The blaze left thousands of homes without electricity and forced the evacuation of more than 100 people.
Heathrow, which relies on the substation for power, confirmed that the outage had significantly impacted airport operations.
A spokesperson announced that the airport would remain closed until 23:59 on March 21, 2025, for safety reasons and urged passengers not to travel to the airport until further updates are provided.
The closure is expected to cause widespread travel disruption, including for Irish passengers, with at least 10 flights from Dublin affected.
Online flight tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that at least 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow would be impacted. When the closure was announced, 120 flights were already in the air enroute to the airport.
Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage.
To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March.
Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport… pic.twitter.com/7SWNJP8ojd
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) March 21, 2025
Many flights have since been diverted to Gatwick, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Shannon Airport in Ireland.
The fire at the substation caused a large-scale power outage affecting more than 16,300 homes in Hayes, Hounslow, and surrounding areas, according to Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.
The National Grid confirmed that equipment was severely damaged in the fire and said they were “working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible.”
London Fire Brigade deployed 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters to the scene on Nestles Avenue in Hayes. Around 150 people were evacuated from nearby properties as a 200-meter safety cordon was established. Firefighters led 29 residents to safety from surrounding buildings.
Social media footage showed large flames and thick plumes of smoke rising from the substation. The fire brigade reported receiving nearly 200 emergency calls related to the incident, with crews responding from Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall, and other nearby stations.
ALSO READ | Finland tops 2025 World Happiness Report; US falls to new low
