LONDON- The busiest aviation hub in Europe, London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has suspended operations until midnight Friday, March 21, after a huge fire at a nearby electrical substation wiped out its power, disrupting flight schedules around the world. FlightRadar24 said that the closure of the airport can affect at least 1351 flights!
The severe blaze, which produced towering orange flames and thick black smoke, disabled both primary and backup power systems at the world’s fifth-busiest airport. The incident prompted the evacuation of about 150 people from surrounding buildings and left thousands of properties without electricity service.
Photo: Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport Shutdown
Heathrow ranks among the world’s top five busiest airports with exceptional global connectivity, serving over 200 destinations across nearly 90 countries and territories. The airport achieved a record-breaking milestone last year by handling almost 84 million passengers.
Aviation Analyst Geoffrey Thomas informed Al Jazeera that approximately 250,000 passengers would face diversions throughout Europe and the United Kingdom due to the closure. He warned of severe disruption lasting potentially 72 hours rather than just 24.
“While other UK airports can accommodate diverted flights, their capacity to handle this volume would be extremely challenging… the situation becomes chaotic when aircraft and crew end up in unintended locations—for instance, planes landing in Frankfurt instead of Heathrow.”
-Geoffrey Thomas, Aviation Analyst
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
Major Airlines Cancels/Diverts Flights
The power outage has resulted in 1,351 flights being cancelled or diverted. At the time of the incident, approximately 120 aircraft were airborne in Heathrow’s vicinity, either having recently departed or preparing to land.
British Airways Flight BA8, Photo- FightRadar24Based on current diversions, it appears British Airways Flight BA8 will be the last Heathrow flight to find an alternate airport.
Operations at London’s Gatwick Airport, situated about 60km southeast of Heathrow, remain unaffected. Gatwick officials have confirmed they will accommodate flights diverted from Heathrow.
Photo: Utkarsh Thakkar (Vimanspotter)Air India (AI) Flight Disruptions
Air India’s flight AI129 from Mumbai will return to its origin while flight AI161 from Delhi has been redirected to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA), according to the airline’s statement.
“All our remaining flights to and from London Heathrow, including AI111 (another Delhi-London service) have been cancelled for 21 March. We will update about resumption as soon as we have information,” the carrier announced.
Besides Air India (AI), numerous other airlines have announced schedule changes, with Heathrow authorities cautioning travellers to expect “significant disruptions over the coming days.”
Photo: By Mitchul Hope – British Airways | G-YMMJ | Boeing 777-236(ER) | London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129305813Other Major Airlines Flights
Heathrow is British Airways’ (BA) primary hub, and the airline has recommended customers not to go there until further notice. “A significant impact on our operation and our customers,” the Airline told BBC.
Cathay Pacific Airways (CX), a Hong Kong airline, has likewise cancelled every flight. For today, there were six scheduled flights from Hong Kong (HKG) to Heathrow (LHR). CX257 was one of the recalled services that had already departed.
“Closely monitoring the situation” is what Australia’s top airline, Qantas (QF), told the BBC. Two of its flights have been rerouted to Paris De Gaulle Airport, France (CDG): the one from Singapore (SIN) to London (LHR) and the one from Perth (PER) to London (LHR).
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ322, which departed Singapore (SIN) on Thursday, was diverted to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Germany. SQ306, which departed Singapore on Friday, was diverted to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris (CDG). SQ308, which also departed Singapore on Friday, will return to Changi Airport and is expected to land at 4.30 pm. “The flight will subsequently be canceled,” SIA said. 5 other SIA flights were canceled.
Today’s total closure of London-Heathrow will affect at least 1,351 flights to/from LHR.
That doesn’t include any flights that might be canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position. pic.twitter.com/WikVJsCxDK
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 21, 2025
According to United Airlines’ (UA) timetable has also been impacted. UA said 7 United flights returned to their origin or other airports, and that flights scheduled to London Heathrow Friday were cancelled.
Scandinavian Airlines (SK) said all 12 round-trip flights to and from London Heathrow Friday had been cancelled. Aer Lingus (EI) said it had cancelled all flights to and from London Heathrow Airport until further notice today.
Photo: Dubai AirshowEmirates, Qatar and Etihad Cancels London flights
The Dubai-based airline, Emirates (EK) announced that the following services will not operate due to Heathrow’s temporary closure: EK001/002, EK029/030, and EK031/032.
Passengers booked or connecting onto these flights will not be accepted for travel. The airline said it is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as it develops.
Etihad (EQ) diverted flight EY61 from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Frankfurt (FRA), and canceled flights EY63, EY64, EY65, and EY66 between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi.
Over nine Qatar Airways (QR) flights from Doha (DOH) to London (LHR) and back, have been 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 statement by Qatar Airways (QR).
Photo: Ferrovial ConstructionPassenger Rights in case of Flight Cancellation/Diversion
According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, if a flight is cancelled, the airline must provide the passenger with care and assistance, which includes offering food and drink (usually in the form of vouchers), communication tools (usually by reimbursing call fees), lodging if a new flight is offered the next day, and transportation to and from the lodging or the passenger’s home.
When there are significant disruptions, airlines may not always be able to provide care and assistance. In these cases, passengers may arrange for their care and then claim reimbursement by retaining records later.
If their flight is cancelled, passengers have the option of receiving a refund or an alternate flight.
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London Heathrow Airport Closes Due to Power Outage, 100s of Flights Affected
The post Emirates Cancels London Heathrow Flights, Around 1,400 Flights Affected appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
