Heathrow Airport closes Friday after fire causes power outage


Heathrow Airport in London closed on Friday after his fire at a power station near the power outage, which resulted in the disruption of travel to tens of thousands of passengers planning to fly inside or outside the airport of Europe.
The airport was ready to resume flights as of Friday afternoon local time, Posted on XShe said she hoped to run a “complete operation” on Saturday.
More than 800 flights inside and outside the airport were canceled on Friday, according to the aviation tracking site, in the last update, as the travel was raised to the main center and the airport.
Airlines have warned that the disturbances may continue on the weekend, and Heathrow published that travelers should not go to the airport unless they were advised by the airline.
Flightttracker data after a major electrical fire near Heather International closed the airport on March 21, 2025
Source: Flighttracker24
Although there is no “indication of the wrong play”, the anti -terrorist squad will now lead to the investigation of the fire.
The force said in a Publishing on X.
“This is due to the resources and capabilities specialized in this matter, which can help in applying for this investigation at a pace to reduce the disorder and determine the cause,” he said.
“Heathrow is suffering from a significant interruption in power throughout the airport … while firefighting kits respond to the accident, we do not want to reliably restore power,” said Hitro spokesman on Friday.
The trips that were canceled and transferred
More than 120 flights were already in the air when the closure was announced and was transferred or returned to its original airports, according to Flightradar24. Almost three quarters of flights to get out of Heathrow, or 500 flights, and half of the expatriates in the airport, 300 flights were cleaned.
About 145,000 passengers can be closed, according to Cirium.
Airlines all over the world due to the operation of flights inside and outside Heathrow Tell the passengers To stay at home.
The closure of the fire and the airport left thousands of travelers who were cut off. British Airways The airline was the most affected, as more than half of the Friday table was canceled.
The airline said it will provide “flexible options” to reserve for travelers who were appointed to travel from or from Heathrow on Friday to the weekend, In an online post.
“Our teams are currently working hard to review our long schedule in addition to the effects of our schedule tomorrow and beyond,” he said in a statement.
Since the fire appears outside the control of airlines, it may not be asked to cover the compensation, according to a memorandum issued by CITI on Friday.
US AirlinesHe said or canceling British Airways partner across the Atlantic Ocean, that nearly 20 flights from Thursday have been transferred or canceled and that it provides hotels overnight to the affected customers. Other 20 were canceled on Friday.
It was not clear when it would resume its operations, and an American spokeswoman said she would restart Heathrow operations “when the airport conditions allow.”
European travel and entertainment shares He falls On the news of the closure of the airport.
“Catastrophic” fire
Workers in the electrical sub -stations are looking after a fire at an electrical sub -station that provides energy for the facility, in London, the United Kingdom on March 21, 2025. Heathro Airport in the United Kingdom announced early on Friday that it was forced to close after a fire at an electrical sub -station to supply the facility. (Photography Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Rasid Necati Aslim | Anatolia Gety pictures
Ed Miliband, UK’s Energy Minister, described the fire as “DisastrousAccording to Reuters, adding that the airport’s backup generator was affected by the fire.
Speaking to “Good Morning, Britain,” Miliband said that the national network told him that “it is like a fire unprecedented, as I saw anything like the size of what happened before”, according to what was published by the program on X.
Miliband added that the national network was trying to use another backup system to restore energy to the airport.
The energy cuts also affected about 16,000 homes around the airport. As of 8 am GMT, the electrical supplies were restored to almost all 4,900, according to power networks in the UK and Southern Electricity.
“He makes Heathrow look completely weak.”
Heathro Airport includes an estimated 1300 takeoff and landing at the airport daily, according to its website. I dealt with a record 83.9 million passengers Last year – an increase of approximately 6 % over 2023.
“Good morning, Britain, we have to understand the reason for this, and we have to know what the lessons are the flexibility of our infrastructure.”
Firefighters are taking fire that broke out at a sub -station that provides energy for Heathrow Airport in Hayes, west of London on March 21, 2025.
Benjamin Karimel AFP | Gety pictures
He said that the national network is looking for whether there is “sufficient flexibility” at the airport, given that the fire also affected the birth of the backup.
“It makes Heathrow look completely weak. Thus, we have to learn lessons … not only Heathrow, but how to protect our main infrastructure,” said Miliband.
Willie Walsh, CEO of the International Air Transport Association, or IATA, the Air Industry Group, criticized the Heathrow Airport for being “completely dependent on one energy source without an alternative”, in Online statementAnd described it as “total planning failure” by the airport.
Walsh, who will cover the costs of the resulting travel disorders.
“We must find a more fair specialization for the costs of caring for passengers from airlines alone that pick up the tab when the infrastructure fails,” he said. “Until it happens, Heathrow has a very little incentive to improve it.”
“Very wide” effects
Anita Mindarata, travel and tourism consultant and the founder of the AM & A consulting company, described the effects of fire and closing the airport as “very wide”.

“What we also need to take into account is the passage of passengers, more than 4000 tons of goods via Heathrow every day,” CNBC’s said.Squawk Box Eurobe“
More than 1.4 million tons of goods flew inside and outside Heathrow in 2023, according to participation on the airport website, with 90 % of goods being transferred in the suspension of passengers.
“When more information is available about the resumption of operations,” airport officials said.
Travelers can check the Heathrow Airport Website Or social media platforms, including xFor the latest information.
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2025-03-21 18:07:00