KEY TAKEAWAYS
- London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest, closed for the day Friday following a fire at a nearby substation that caused a power outage.
- The airport operator said that the hub would remain closed until 11:59 p.m. local time (07:59 p.m. ET) on Friday.
- The closure has caused widespread disruption, with more than 1,350 flights canceled today, according to FlightRadar24.
London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest, closed for the day Friday following a fire at a nearby substation that caused what it called a “significant” power outage.
The airport operator said that the hub would remain closed until 11:59 p.m. local time (07:59 p.m. ET) on Friday. The closure has caused widespread disruption, with more than 1,350 flights canceled today, according to FlightRadar24.
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” Heathrow said, adding that passengers shouldn’t travel to the airport.
A Heathrow spokesperson said in a statement to Investopedia that the company expects “significant disruption over the coming days.”
British Airways said that the outage will “clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we’re working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond.” Shares of British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group were down 1% in London trading.
According to data provider OAG, Heathrow is the world’s second-busiest international airport by capacity this month, with just over 4 million seats, and fifth-busiest airport at about 4.3 million seats if you include domestic flights. The airport handled a record 83.9 million passengers in 2024, Heathrow said in January.
UPDATE—March 21, 2025: This article has been updated to comment from Heathrow and refreshed share prices.