Some flights had made significant progress in their journeys towards Heathrow when the disruption began
Some flights had made significant progress in their journeys towards Heathrow when the disruption began
Heathrow Airport has announced that it will be shut for the entirety of today following a major fire at the North Hyde Electricity Substation. In a statement this morning, a Heathrow spokesperson said: “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation.
”While 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 11.59pm on March 21 2025.”
This closure implies all flights to and from the airport will be cancelled for the entire day, which will affect services for carriers such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, as well as the non-operational Heathrow Express service for the day.
A number of flights have been diverted to airports around the world, according to the website Flightradar24. Heathrow-bound flights have also been diverted to airports in Ireland, Cardiff, and Manchester, as well as Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid and beyond.
Five flights that were due to land at Heathrow in the early hours of this morning have been diverted to Manchester Airport. These flights would have been in the air when the London airport announced that it would be closing due to a power outage.
Arrangements are now being made for these passengers to be transported down to London by coach. Manchester Airport says it is not expecting any disruption to scheduled flights as a result of the Heathrow closure and it is unlikely that there will be many more flights diverted from Heathrow to Manchester Airport, reports the MEN.
Flights diverted to Manchester Airport are:
The five flights that were diverted from Heathrow to Manchester Airport this morning are:
- British Airways flight BA64 from Nairobi that was scheduled to land at 5.55am
- British Airways flight BA112 from New York that was scheduled to land at 6.30am
- British Airways flight BA66 from Philadelphia that was scheduled to land at 6.35am
- British Airways flight BA176 from New York that was scheduled to land at 7.10am
- Emirates flight EK7 from Dubai that was scheduled to land at 7.10am
There have been no casualties or anyone treated for injuries at the scene of the fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, the London Ambulance Service said. Hazardous area response teams and an incident response officer are currently on the scene, they said.
London Fire Brigade have said that the electrical substation which led to the closure of Heathrow Airport is now under control, Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: “This was a very visible and significant incident, and our firefighters worked tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible.
“Thanks to their efforts and co-ordinated multi-agency response, we successfully contained the fire and prevented further spread. We will maintain a presence at the scene throughout the day, assisting the National Grid as they assess the site.
“The fire has caused a widespread power outage, affecting many homes, local businesses and Heathrow Airport. While power has been restored to some properties, we continue to work closely with our partners to minimise disruption.
The fire services say firefighters safely evacuated 29 people from neighbouring properties and, as a precaution, a 200-metre cordon was established, with around 150 people evacuated.
They continued: “Due to the significant smoke, we strongly advise local residents to keep their windows and doors closed, as some smoke will remain for a number of hours today. Scientific advisers will also be on-site this morning to conduct further assessments and monitor the air quality.”
