Breaking : Heathrow Airport Shutdown For 24 Hours
The UK’s busiest airport has been forced to shut after an ongoing fire broke out at an electrical substation less than two miles away.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at around 11.30pm on Thursday and the busy airport, which sees a plane land or take off every 45 seconds on average, announced its closure at 2am on Friday.
More than 200,000 people travel through the airport every day and the chaos expected from the closure is set to have drawn out effects over the weekend.
A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: ‘Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation.
‘Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.
‘To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025.
‘We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.
‘We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.’
Flights set to land at Heathrow are already being diverted, with Flightradar24 saying it would affect at least 1,351 flight to and from Heathrow.
‘That doesn’t include any flights that might be canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position,’ the flight tracker site said in a statement.
That means as many as 145,000 travelers could be affected by the closure, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.
Dramatic images show flames tearing through the structure as smoke billows into the night sky
Dramatic images show flames tearing through the structure as smoke billows into the night sky
More than 200,000 people travel through the airport every day and the chaos expected from the closure is set to have drawn out effects over the weekend
The London Fire Brigade said in a statement that crews would remain at the scene of the fire 1.5miles north of Heathrow Airport throughout the night
The London Fire Brigade said in a statement that crews would remain at the scene of the fire 1.5miles north of Heathrow Airport throughout the night
Police have declared a major incident in Hayes after an electrical substation exploded in the early hours of Friday morning, igniting a large-scale fire at a new building construction site on Nestles Avenue
Police have declared a major incident in Hayes after an electrical substation exploded in the early hours of Friday morning, igniting a large-scale fire at a new building construction site on Nestles Avenue
FlightRadar24 spokesman Ian Petchenik said that the unplanned closure of Heathrow Airport will disrupt flights all over the world.
‘Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world.’
Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports for international travel. It had its busiest January on record earlier this year, with more than 6.3 million passengers, up more than 5 per cent for the same period last year.
January also was the 11th month in a row it averaged over 200,000 passengers a day, with the airport citing transatlantic travel as a key contributor.
European airports are now preparing for an influx of planes that are too far into their journeys to turn back and have to be diverted to their airports.
Meanwhile, rail services to and from Heathrow have been cancelled for Friday, National Rail said in a statement.
The Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 and also between Shenfield / Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 5 have been suspended, with Heathrow Express services between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5 also being cancelled.
Footage of the blaze shows large clouds of smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters are trying to put out the fire, while videos from inside Heathrow showed the airport lying largely dark amid the power outage.
The fire has left thousands of West London properties without power.
The explosion was reported at 11:30pm, triggering an immediate response from emergency services, including ten fire engines and specialist fire units
The explosion was reported at 11:30pm, triggering an immediate response from emergency services, including ten fire engines and specialist fire units
Flights set to land at Heathrow are already being diverted, but it is currently unclear how many flights are affected
Flights set to land at Heathrow are already being diverted, but it is currently unclear how many flights are affected
Travel chaos as flights traveling to Heathrow diverted
An electricity substation near Heathrow has caught fire – leaving thousands of West London properties without power
An electricity substation near Heathrow has caught fire – leaving thousands of West London properties without power
An estimated 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow will be directly impacted by diversions, while more still are expected to be canceled
An estimated 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow will be directly impacted by diversions, while more still are expected to be canceled
Flight chaos across the world with planes forced to divert or turn around as Heathrow Airport shuts
More than 70 firefighters and ten fire engines have rushed to the scene, on Nestles Avenue in Hayes, to tackle the blaze.
Roughly 150 people have been evacuated from the area and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution.
Firefighters have advised local residents to keep their windows and doors closed to stop the ‘significant’ amount of smoke entering their homes.
One witness told LBC: ‘I was crossing a bridge and there was a huge explosion.’
Another posted a video of the blaze on X writing: ‘Scary scenes in Hayes. Power cut and massive fire.’
A local resident claimed that ‘all the power is out for the entire area up to Hounslow.’
According to the Powertrack site, around 16,000 households are thought to be affected. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks confirmed the a large-scale power outage in the surrounding areas.
The London Fire Brigade said in a statement during the early hours of Friday: ‘Around 20 people have been evacuated from neighbouring properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution with around 150 people evacuated.
‘The fire is producing a significant amount of smoke and local residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed.
‘The Brigade’s Control Officers have taken almost 200 calls to the fire. The first call was received at 10.23pm and crews from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene.’
A Heathrow spokesperson said: ‘Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation’ (the fire is pictured above)
A Heathrow spokesperson said: ‘Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation’ (the fire is pictured above)
One witness told LBC: ‘I was crossing a bridge and there was a huge explosion’
One witness told LBC: ‘I was crossing a bridge and there was a huge explosion’
Roughly 150 people have been evacuated from the area and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution
Roughly 150 people have been evacuated from the area and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution
In a further statement around 3am, the fire brigade warned: ‘Crews remain at the scene of the fire in #Hayes – please continue to keep windows & doors closed due to smoke & avoid the area. This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on scene throughout the night.’
Assistant Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade Pat Goulbourne said: ‘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 minimise disruption.
The Mail
