Updated Mar 21, 2025 - World

Heathrow Airport resumes some flights after closure

Ivana Saric

Members of the Fire Brigade attend the scene following a major fire at an electrical substation at Heathrow on March 21 — Fire Brigade members at the scene following a fire at an electrical substation at Heathrow on March 21. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

London's Heathrow Airport resumed some flights after closing earlier Friday when a fire at an electrical substation caused a major power outage and sparked travel chaos.

Why it matters: Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in Europe and one of the best-connected travel hubs in the world. At least 1,350 flights that were scheduled to arrive at or depart from the airport have been affected so far, per the flight-tracking service Flightradar24.

Counter-terrorism officers from London's Metropolitan Police are also investigating the fire as a "precautionary measure," per the BBC.

Driving the news: "We're now safely able to restart flights, prioritizing repatriation and relocation of aircraft," Heathrow said in a statement. "Please do not travel to the airport unless your airline has advised you to do so."

Full operations are expected to resume Saturday.
The airport had said earlier Friday it was "experiencing a significant power outage" due to the fire at an electrical substation that serves the airport.
It had said the airport would be closed through at least the end of the day.

The airport also acknowledged in a separate statement that it was unclear when exactly the power would be restored, warning that it expects "significant disruption over the coming days," the BBC reported.

Zoom in: The power outage from the fire has also impacted the local community.

National Grid U.K. said Friday that roughly 5,000 customers were without power in the impacted area.

Go deeper: Some U.S. flights resume after outages disrupted businesses around the world

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional developments.

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Heathrow Airport resumes some flights after closure

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