Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest airports globally, will remain closed throughout Friday due to a major power outage caused by fire at a nearby electrical substation.
In a statement, the airport advised passengers not to travel to the airport, warning of significant disruption in the coming days, and emphasised that travel should be avoided until the airport reopens.
The airport confirmed the outage on X, stating: “A fire at an electrical substation supplying power to Heathrow has caused a significant power outage. To ensure the safety of our passengers and staff, the airport will remain closed until 23:59 on March 21.”
According to the London Fire Brigade, the fire started in a transformer at the substation, triggering a large-scale emergency response. Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were deployed to the scene. Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne noted that firefighters helped evacuate 29 people from nearby buildings, and a 200-metre safety cordon was set up, resulting in the evacuation of about 150 individuals.
The airport has stated there is no clear timeline for restoring power. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and check with airlines for updates. Authorities are monitoring the situation and will release further information as it becomes available.
