London Heathrow Shut Down, Flights Diverted

London Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, is completely shut down today following a significant power outage, the airport said in a statement.

Some flights have been diverted to alternate airports, including London Gatwick, about 41 kilometers (25 miles) away. Long-haul flights, including British Airways flight BA058 from Cape Town, South Africa, BA012 from Singapore, and Air China flight CA847 from Shanghai, are among those affected. British Airways flight BA074 from Lagos, initially scheduled to land at Heathrow, has already arrived at the airport.

The closure, which will last until 11:59 p.m. local time on March 21, 2025, was announced via Heathrow’s official X account. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport.

Local media and the London Fire Brigade confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes. Half of a transformer remains ablaze, and a 200-meter cordon has been established around the site, with about 150 people evacuated.

The shutdown, expected to last several days, is likely to impact hundreds of thousands of travelers. Heathrow handled around 84 million passengers in 2024, making it one of the world’s ten busiest airports by passenger volume. According to popular flight-tracking website, it is estimated that approximately 1,351 flights to/from London Heathrow will be affected as a result of the outage.

Update (1:40pm London Time):
With the exception of British Airways Flight 008 from Tokyo bound for London Heathrow, all other flights have either been diverted back to their origin airport or diverted to airports in Europe or around London Heathrow.

Notices have been issued by multiple airlines, including Virgin Atlantic, which canceled all flights to and from London Heathrow until 9:30 p.m. local time. British Airways, the flag carrier of the United Kingdom, has also issued similar notices.