Heathrow Airport closed Latest – Chaos in the sky around the airport

Britain‘s premier airport, Heathrow Airport is to remain shut until midnight due to a large fire at a nearby electricity substation. The authorities have just confirmed that no flights will take off today, however, some may be able land later if the power outage is fixed.

At least 1,300 flights are expected to be cancelled due to a “significant power outage across the airport”, with a Heathrow spokesperson saying “we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored”.

Passengers have been warned to stay away and all trains to the airport have been suspended.

Live updates on Heathrow closure

“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025,” the statement said.

“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”

Officials have estimated at least 1,351 flights in and out of Heathrow will be affected today, including around 120 already in the air this morning.

Chaos in the sky around the airport

Planes usually begin landing and taking off at Heathrow at around 5am after the regular overnight quiet period.

Some planes have already been diverted to places including Gatwick, Paris, and Shannon in Ireland.

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports and had a record 83.9 million passengers last year, with a plane landing or taking off around every 45 seconds.

Its total closure is set to have knock-on effects on airline operations around the world.