Overview

• Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest, is closed until 11:59 PM on March 21, 2025, due to a power outage caused by a fire at a nearby substation.
• The fire, involving a transformer at the North Hyde substation in Hayes, required 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines to respond, with 150 people evacuated from nearby properties.
• Over 16,000 homes and businesses in Hayes and Hounslow are without power as emergency crews work to control the blaze, which began late on March 20.
• At least 120 flights already in the air have been diverted, with significant global travel disruptions affecting over 1,300 scheduled flights to and from Heathrow.
• The cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities warn of prolonged impacts on travel and local infrastructure in the coming days.