✈ Heathrow Airport closed – over 1,000 flights disrupted

The airport posted on X (formerly Twitter): ‘Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage. To maintain the safety of passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport.’

Flight tracker site Flightradar24 reports that the closure has already forced more than 120 flights – already mid-air – to change course.

A Heathrow spokesperson urged passengers to avoid travelling to the airport "under any circumstances", warning that "significant disruption" is expected over the next few days.

Travel experts are calling this a global nightmare for airlines, who’ll need to quickly rejig flight routes, plane schedules and crew locations. It’s a bit of a logistical nightmare.

Dozens of flights have already been rerouted. Qantas has sent its Perth to London flight to Paris instead, and a United Airlines flight from New York is heading to Shannon in Ireland. Some US-bound flights have had to turn back mid-air. A United flight from San Francisco, originally due to land in London, has diverted to Washington. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are redirecting flights to nearby Gatwick.

According to Flightradar24, the sudden closure is affecting over 1,000 flights.

Neil Hansford, from Sydney-based aviation consultancy Strategic Aviation Solutions, called the one-day closure of Heathrow “unprecedented” in the industry.

And while other London airports like Gatwick and Stansted usually step in to take redirected flights, they just can’t handle Heathrow’s full load. With five terminals, Heathrow runs like clockwork – planes arriving and departing by the minute. Other UK airports simply don’t have the capacity to deal with that volume.

Even if airports like Schiphol (Amsterdam), Charles de Gaulle and Orly (Paris) can absorb some redirected flights, what happens next is unclear. How do you get passengers and crew from Paris or Amsterdam back to London? Rail services can only do so much. Airlines may not even have staff in these cities, so it’s a scramble.

And there’s another major issue – fuel. Airlines plan their refuelling for Heathrow, which has massive reserves. Other airports won’t be able to handle that level of extra demand.

Even if Heathrow gets back on track by Saturday, knock-on effects could mess with flight schedules worldwide for days, if not longer.

“It’s a disaster for global aviation,” Hansford added.

On the ground, the fire in Hayes has also knocked out power to over 16,000 homes. Videos on social media show huge flames and thick black smoke billowing from the substation. The fire brigade said they received nearly 200 emergency calls, with teams from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding areas called in to help.

Sources: X, The Guardian, Flightradar24