- Flight operations resumed on Saturday after limited resumption at 16:31 local time on Friday, March 21, 2025
- Over 1,350 flights and nearly 291,000 passengers were affected
Update 7:00 UTC, March 22
London’s Heathrow Airport resumed full operations on Saturday, one day after a fire at an electrical substation triggered a major power outage, forcing the closure of Europe’s busiest airport and creating global travel disruption.
While limited flights resumed on Friday evening, the near-total shutdown earlier in the day left tens of thousands of passengers stranded, scrambling for hotel rooms and alternative flights as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crew.
A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed the airport had returned to normal operations and announced additional measures to ease the backlog:
“We have hundreds of additional colleagues on hand in our terminals and we have added flights to today’s schedule to facilitate an extra 10,000 passengers travelling through the airport.”
Despite the return to full functionality, recovery is expected to take several days as carriers work through the cascade of delays and cancellations that affected both inbound and outbound networks worldwide.
Update 23:00 UTC
London Heathrow Airport has resumed limited flight operations following a massive power outage that plunged the UK’s busiest aviation hub into darkness. Originally scheduled to reopen early Saturday morning (UK time), some flights were able to depart ahead of schedule on Friday. The first arrival landed at Heathrow on Friday evening, approximately 18 hours after the outage began.
From 16:31 local time, Heathrow began restarting operations on a restricted basis, with only Terminals 3 and 5 in use. Terminals 2 and 4 remain closed, and all flight movements require prior slot approval from Airport Coordination Limited.
Initial operations at Heathrow are using easterly flow, with aircraft landing on Runway 09L and departing from Runway 09R. Full airport functionality is expected to resume on Saturday. British Airways received clearance to operate eight long-haul departures from 19:00 on Friday, including its daily service to Sydney. The confirmed flights are:
- BA055 – Johannesburg
- BA057 – Johannesburg
- BA011 – Singapore
- BA259 – Riyadh
- BA045 – Cape Town
- BA059 – Cape Town
- BA015 – Sydney (via Singapore)
- BA249 – Buenos Aires (via Rio de Janeiro)
In a statement Friday afternoon, Heathrow said it was “safely able to restart flights” but warned that disruption is expected to continue for several days. Many aircraft scheduled to operate from Heathrow are currently scattered across the UK, Europe, and beyond, complicating efforts to restore normal service.
Full Article
London Heathrow Airport has been closed until midnight on Friday after a devastating fire at a nearby electrical substation triggered a massive power outage. The blaze knocked out both the main and backup power systems, plunging the airport into darkness and chaos.
The fire broke out just after 11 p.m. (2300 GMT) on Thursday in Hayes, West London, and quickly escalated, sending towering flames and thick black smoke into the night sky. Engineers and emergency crews are working to restore power.
Around 70 firefighters responded to the scene and had the fire under control by early Friday morning. The cause of the fire remains unknown, though Energy Minister Ed Miliband ruled out foul play, calling the incident “catastrophic.”
1,351 Scheduled Flights on Friday
Heathrow Airport announced that operations would remain suspended until at least midnight Friday, with no timeline for power restoration. The outage affects 1,351 scheduled flights and an estimated 291,000 passengers.
“Due to a power outage in the London Heathrow area, London Heathrow Airport is currently closed. As a result, customers due to travel from Heathrow on Friday are advised not to travel to the airport until further notice,” stated an airport spokesperson.
British Airways had 341 flights scheduled to land on Friday. In total, 77 airlines were set to operate 669 inbound flights. According to FlightRadar24, at least 120 of those inbound flights were forced to divert to alternate airports early Friday morning.
Majority of these flights bound for LHR diverted to nearby airports whereas some returned to their departure cities.
Airlines Responses
As Heathrow Airport remains closed due to the major power outage, airlines across Europe and beyond responded swiftly to assist stranded passengers and adjust their schedules.
Ryanair announced the addition of up to eight rescue flights between Dublin and London Stansted to help those impacted by the Heathrow disruption.
The Irish low-cost carrier scheduled four extra flights on Friday afternoon and another four on Saturday morning. These special services were made available for booking on Ryanair’s website from 09:30 AM on Friday. The airline confirmed the update through a post on social media platform X.
Air France canceled eight flights to and from London Heathrow on Friday. However, services to other UK airports remained unaffected. Meanwhile, its partner carrier KLM also canceled three return flights between the Netherlands and Heathrow.
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) confirmed the cancellation of all 12 of its round trips to and from Heathrow for the day.
Singapore Airlines reported that four flights from Singapore to London and four return flights from London to Singapore were canceled due to the closure. The airline is working to rebook passengers on alternate services or routes where possible.
In Spain, state-owned airport operator Aena reported that 54 flights to and from Heathrow were affected across its terminals. These included 29 connections in Madrid, 19 in Barcelona, and six across Malaga, Tenerife, and Valencia. Aena advised passengers to contact their respective airlines for updated information on flight schedules.
As the situation at Heathrow improves, airlines continue to adjust their operations to minimize disruptions and assist affected travelers.
Ripple Effect Across the Globe
Aviation experts warned that Heathrow’s closure would reverberate through global airline networks. “Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world,” said Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24. “This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world.”
Flight disruptions are expected to persist for days, as aircraft and crew are now out of position. Analysts also pointed out that some passengers diverted to European airports may be stuck in transit lounges due to visa restrictions, further complicating recovery efforts.
Engineers are currently working to deploy a tertiary power backup system. “With any incident like this we will want to understand why it happened and what if any lessons it has for our infrastructure,” Miliband told Sky News.