A catastrophic 24-hour shutdown at Heathrow Airport led to widespread flight cancellations and mid-air diversions, leaving travelers around the globe bracing for days of chaos.
The closure of one of the world’s busiest airports occurred on Friday, following a fire at a nearby electrical substation that caused a major power outage. This disruption affected more than 200,000 passengers who typically pass through Heathrow every day.
As the fire raged and news of the closure spread, many American travelers planning to land at Heathrow quickly turned their flights around late on Friday evening, according to FlightRadar.
In addition to numerous canceled and delayed flights, 120 planes already in the air were rerouted or redirected. Cirium, an aviation data company, estimates that up to 145,000 passengers could be impacted by the shutdown.
Global Impact
Flights from distant locations like San Francisco, Japan, and Perth, Australia were all caught in the mayhem. After spending hours in the air, flights from Dallas, Chicago, and Minneapolis appeared to be heading back to the U.S. instead of continuing to Heathrow. Other planes from the U.S. were being rerouted to alternative airports, with one flight from San Francisco now landing at Dulles International, and another from Dallas heading to Bangor, Maine instead of London.
One of the first flights affected was US Flight 146 from Newark, which was supposed to land at Heathrow at 5:55 a.m. but was instead diverted to Shannon, Ireland, just after five in the morning.
Meanwhile, the Qantas flight QF9 from Perth, originally scheduled to land at Heathrow, was rerouted to Paris. Other diverted flights included those bound for Helsinki, Newfoundland, and Amsterdam.
At airports worldwide, weary travelers anxiously awaited news from their airlines. A passenger at Toronto’s airport tweeted that his flight was still scheduled to depart for Heathrow in fifty minutes. Meanwhile, another passenger told Daily Mail that her flight from JFK had been circling above New York for about 40 minutes before the pilot informed them that the airport was closed. The flight was forced to return to JFK, but passengers were left uncertain about whether they would get another flight.
Long-Haul Disruptions
Some long-haul flights were severely affected. A flight from Japan that had been airborne for 13 hours was redirected to Helsinki instead of London, and British Airways flights from Doha and Nairobi were redirected to Frankfurt and Manchester respectively.
Some fortunate passengers were rerouted to other airports within London. For example, British Airways flights from Johannesburg, Lagos, and Cape Town were directed to Gatwick. However, many passengers traveling from Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Houston, Hamburg, Zurich, Dublin, and Barcelona woke up to find their flights canceled.
The Cause of the Shutdown
The busy airport, which typically sees a plane land or take off every 45 seconds, was forced to shut down six hours after the fire broke out at 8 p.m. on Thursday. The fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a severe power loss at the airport, impacting operations across the entire facility.
Ian Petchenik, a spokesperson for FlightRadar24, explained, “Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world. This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world.”
A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed that the airport was experiencing a significant power outage due to the fire and stated that it could not determine when power would be reliably restored. The airport was officially closed until 11:59 p.m. on March 21, 2025, and warned passengers not to travel to the airport until it reopens.
“We expect significant disruption in the coming days, and we advise passengers to stay away until further notice,” the spokesperson added.
Firefighting Efforts
Firefighters worked tirelessly to control the blaze, with footage showing thick clouds of smoke rising into the sky. Inside Heathrow, the airport appeared mostly dark due to the power loss.
Pat Goulbourne, assistant commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, stated, “This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible.”
Local businesses and households also faced power outages, with emergency crews helping to evacuate over 150 people from nearby buildings. A 200-meter perimeter was set up around the fire zone, and authorities advised residents to keep their windows and doors closed due to the heavy smoke.
Although the fire’s cause remains unclear, there have been no reports of injuries thus far. Fire crews are expected to remain at the scene throughout the night, as this situation is expected to continue for some time. Local authorities are advising people to stay away from the area to avoid further disruptions.