Fire Leads to Closure of London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport announced on Friday that a fire at a substation that powers the airport has resulted in a significant power outage. The timeline for restoring electricity remains uncertain. Consequently, the airport will remain closed until midnight on the same day. Travelers are advised against heading to the airport until it reopens.

On the day of the incident, 10 flights were scheduled to operate from Vienna Schwechat to London Heathrow. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management authority, reported on its website that due to the power outage, no arrivals at Heathrow would be possible, and there are plans to reroute flights accordingly.

The London Fire Brigade stated that firefighting crews are actively tackling the blaze in Hayes, located in west London, and approximately 150 individuals were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The fire service deployed ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters to the scene of the substation fire, as reported on social media.

According to media reports, thousands of households in the surrounding area have experienced power outages as a result of the incident. Heathrow was recognized as the second-largest international airport in the world in 2024, following Dubai, according to data from the travel analytics company OAG.