London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s largest in terms of passenger traffic, announced early this morning that it will be completely closed for the entire day on Friday due to a ‘significant power cut’ as a result of a fire at an electricity substation in the British town of Hayes, west of the capital. British counter-terrorism police have not ruled out sabotage or an act of terrorism and have taken over the investigation.

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“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage. To ensure the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will remain closed until 11.59pm on 21 March,” a statement said.

It has also advised passengers not to travel to the airport and to contact their airline for more information, it said on its profile on the social network ‘X’.

🇬🇧⚡🔥 An explosion at a substation "closed" the UK's largest international airport, Heathrow, for a day.

Dozens of flights have been delayed, cancelled or diverted to other airports, leaving nearly 20,000 passengers stranded at #Heathrow with no way to fly. #HeathrowAirport… pic.twitter.com/mO2sSl00W2

— Ian Collins (@Ian_Collins_03) March 21, 2025

The total closure of Heathrow will affect at least 1,351 flights departing from or arriving at the airport, according to flight tracker Flightradar24, causing chaos for European and intercontinental air traffic. “This does not include flights that could be cancelled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position,” the tracker stresses.

This severe disruption will force many flights worldwide to Heathrow to be diverted to other London airports, such as Gatwick or Stansted, but many others will have to be delayed or cancelled.

Heathrow Airport has warned that it will experience “significant disruption” not only this Friday, but also over the next few days until the issue is fully resolved.

The fire that broke out in the early hours of Friday morning at an electricity substation near Heathrow, which led to the closure of the airport, is now under control, the London Fire Brigade said.

The London Ambulance Service has confirmed that the incident has not resulted in any casualties and no people have had to be treated in the area.

How did #Heathrow Airport allow an electricity substation fire to disrupt 1,350+ flights, strand 290,000 passengers worldwide, halt international cargo movements, disrupt global business, and result in an economic impact costing multi-millions?

Here’s how 👇 pic.twitter.com/adzAPBwb4I

— Brit-ish (@BritHouston24) March 21, 2025

The deputy commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, Pat Goulbourn, said in a statement that “this was a highly visible incident and firefighters have worked tirelessly to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible”.

“Thanks to their efforts and a coordinated multi-agency response, the fire has been successfully contained and prevented from spreading,” confirmed the officer, who said the force would remain in the affected area throughout the day.

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Goulbourn added that the incident “has caused an extensive power outage, which has affected many homes, local businesses and Heathrow Airport” and added that while power has been restored to some properties, firefighters continue to “work around the clock” to minimise disruption.

-Thailand News (TN)