Heathrow Airport Remains Closed Following Major Power Outage; Thousands Affected
A fire at a nearby electrical substation caused Heathrow Airport's closure, severely disrupting air travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers worldwide.
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It is not yet clear why a fire at one substation shut down Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, completely.
Heathrow substation fire: What went wrong?
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Heathrow is not the busiest.
Heathrow's fire will have worldwide ripple effects. See the top 10 busiest airports.
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The closure disrupted the travel plans of about 200,000 people who were expected to travel through the airport on Friday.
Several Canadian Flights Cancelled After London Fire Caused Power Outage at Heathrow
Epoch Times·1M·Mixed ReliableThis source has a mixed track record—sometimes accurate but also prone to bias, sensationalism, or incomplete reporting.RightThis outlet favors right-wing views.The fire at an electrical substation has sparked one of the most serious disruptions to air travel in years.
After a fire shut Heathrow, a look at some of history's worst air travel disruptions
Associated Press·1M·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.The chaos is likely to continue across the weekend.
Flights to nowhere for thousands of passengers after fire closes Heathrow Airport
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Heathrow is one of the busiest airports on the planet, with nearly 84 million passengers going through the airport in 2024 alone.
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Heathrow, one of the busiest international airports in the world, typically handles more than 200,000 passengers daily.
Heathrow Airport in London shuts down for day due to nearby fire
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The fire at an electrical substation has sparked one of the most serious disruptions to air travel in years.
After a Fire Shut Heathrow, a Look at Some of History's Worst Air Travel Disruptions
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The closure of Heathrow is having a significant impact on our flying program both into and out of Heathrow.
Travel chaos as London's Heathrow remains closed. Here's what airlines are telling passengers
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Experts were questioning why the airport relied on a single electrical unit, and why backup plans were inadequate.
Heathrow shutdown: What happened, which flights have been disrupted?
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While London has other airfields, including Gatwick and the smaller Stansted near Cambridge, Heathrow handles the lion’s share of air connections, and an outage on the current scale is unprecedented for the airfield.
Stock Movers: IAG, Douglas, Wetherspoon
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The impact of the disruption is expected to extend well beyond Britain’s largest travel hub, potentially costing the airline industry hundreds of millions of pounds.
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Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports for international travel.
Heathrow Airport to close Friday after fire knocks out power to part of London
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More than 1,300 flights are affected by the emergency closure, with potentially over 100,000 people having their travel plans altered, CNN reported.
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The flight tracking service FlightRadar 24 said at least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow were affected already.
Heathrow Airport in UK Temporarily Closes After Power Outage
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A fire at an electrical substation near London's Heathrow Airport has closed one of the world's busiest airports.
Fire at London electrical substation closes Heathrow Airport
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Heathrow is one of the busiest two-runway airports in the world with about 1,300 combined take-offs and landings a day, according to its website.
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The disruption is expected to continue Friday morning, and the public was urged to avoid the area.
London's Heathrow Airport closes for the day after power failure
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Summary
Heathrow Airport remains closed until late Friday due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, disrupting air travel for over 200,000 passengers. The fire caused a significant power outage, resulting in the cancellation of at least 1,351 flights, with many aircraft being diverted and thousands of homes losing power. Emergency response teams, including 70 firefighters, addressed the blaze throughout the night, while investigations into the cause are underway, led by counterterrorism detectives. Officials expect recovery efforts to take several days, raising concerns about the resilience of vital national infrastructure.
Perspectives
Heathrow Airport shut down Friday, March 21, due to a substation fire nearby. The incident impacted 100,000 passengers worldwide and canceled over 1,300 flights.
Firefighters battled the blaze through the night, with emergency crews working to restore power and airport operations.
Government officials collaborated with the National Grid to expedite recovery efforts.
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