London Heathrow airport closed – live: At least 1,350 flights affected after electrical fire causes massive power outage

Labour MP Ruth Cadbury warned against speculation when asked by Times Radio if she thought the fire at an electricity substation may have been caused intentionally.

“I think that’s somewhat speculative”, she said.

“There are obviously questions about it, and I don’t know enough about electricity, but for the airport to be dependent on one substation, it does raise questions.”

She added it was “very, very concerning” that “one substation can close down an airport and there isn’t an alternative source of energy”.

Flight tracker shows chaos in the skies after a huge fire at a west London electricity substation has forced Heathrow Airport to close.

The airport is expected to remain closed until midnight on Friday (21 March), with more than 1,350 flights delayed or cancelled.

At least 1,351 flights to or from Heathrow today will be directly impacted, flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said.

British Airways has issued a new statement asking passengers due to travel out of Heathrow not to head to the airport “until further notice”.

At least 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines have been deployed to Hayes in west London to tackle the fire, the London Fire Brigade said, adding that 150 people have already been evacuated and hundreds of nearby homes were without power.

Energy minister Ed Miliband has called the fire at a sub-station near Heathrow airport “catastrophic”. He confirmed the back-up generator for the airport had also been affected by the blaze.

Restoring power was a priority, he said, but it would take time.

He said there was a further back-up system which National Grid was seeking to use to restore power.

“As I say, I’ve spoken to the National Grid, who are really at the epicentre of this, and we will be doing everything we can, both to restore power and help the National Grid.

“To do that, and to ensure that the DfT (Department for Transport), and the Government as a whole, plays its part in, as best we can, minimising the disruption to passengers.”

Dozens of flights en route to London today were seen diverting to other locations mid-flight as air traffic control towers informed airlines of the shutdown at Heathrow Airport.

A time-lapse of the diversions has been captured by flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

In total some 679 flights were scheduled to land and 678 flights were scheduled to take off from Heathrow today, it said.

Some passengers flying into the UK today have turned to social media to express their exasperation about the impact to their travel plans.

Adrian Spender, who works at Tesco, said in a post on X that he was on an Airbus A380 that had been headed for Heathrow.

“#Heathrow no idea where we are going yet. Currently over Austria.”

Another passenger said: “Get this: i’m on a flight to London right now (3.5 hours in) and the pilot says we’re turning around due to fires near Heathrow and the airport is closed. so we’re flying to CANADA to refuel and then they will take us back to NY.”

Heathrow and London’s other major airports have been hit by other outages in recent years, most recently by an automated gate failure and an air traffic system meltdown, both in 2023.

Virgin Atlantic has cancelled all its flights operating in and out of Heathrow Airport this morning.

“All Virgin Atlantic flights arriving and departing from Heathrow Airport are cancelled until midday on 21 March,” it said in a statement.

Heathrow has told passengers the airport will be closed until midnight tonight, while other airlines such as British Airways have asked people not to travel to Heathrow “until further notice”.

The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder explains the Heathrow shutdown turmoil today, warning that it will “cause immense damage – both economically and emotionally”.

“There are more than 200,000 passengers booked to fly from or through London Heathrow on Friday,” he says.

He explains all you need to know, as well as your rights if your flight has been delayed or cancelled.

British Airways has issued a new statement asking passengers due to travel out of Heathrow not to head to the airport “until further notice”.

Here is the statement in full:

“Due to a significant power outage in the London Heathrow area, London Heathrow Airport will be closed until further notice. This will impact all our flights today (Friday 21 March 2025). If you are travelling to and from London Heathrow today, please do not travel to the airport until you have checked your flight status.

“We’re closely monitoring the situation and we’ll update ba.com/travelnews as soon as we have more details. Please also keep an eye on ba.com/managemybooking and your emails and text messages.

“We’re very sorry for the disruption this issue will cause to your travel plans.

“Thanks for your patience.”

The London Fire Brigade has deployed around 70 firefighters to tackle the blaze in west London which caused a massive power outage at Heathrow.

At least half of a transformer within the substation remains alight, officials said in a statement. The cause of the fire is not known at the moment.

Around 150 people were evacuated from nearby buildings and thousands of properties were without power.

“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,” assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.

He added: “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 fire brigade said that its control officers have handled more than 200 calls, offering vital guidance and reassurance to the public.

“Due to the significant amount of smoke, we strongly advise local residents to keep their windows and doors closed,” Mr Goulbourne said.