Heathrow airport closed – live: All flights cancelled after major power outage caused by fire – UK Times

Dozens of flights diversions from Heathrow Airport have already been recorded as flights scatter to other airports, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

The diversions include Qantas Airways sending its flight from Perth to Paris and a United Airlines New York flight heading to Shannon, Ireland.

A United Airlines flight from San Francisco was due to land in Washington, DC rather than London.

Some flights from the US were seen turning around mid-air and going back to their point of departure.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation.

“Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.

“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025.

“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.

“We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available.

“We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.”

Heathrow Airport has been closed until midnight today after experiencing a major power outage, officials said.

The outage at the airport has been caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation responsible for power supply to the airport, officials said.

“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,” the airport’s official account on X said, advising passengers to not travel to the airport.