Travel chaos as Heathrow Airport to remain closed all day, with more than 1,300 flights affected after substation fire

21 March 2025, 05:16 | Updated: 21 March 2025, 07:37

Heathrow Airport will remain closed all day Friday after a fire at a nearby electricity substation knocked out its power supply, with passengers warned not to "travel under any circumstances."

Passengers have been told not to travel to the airport and to contact their airline for further information.

Thousands of homes have been left without power and more than 100 people were evacuated after a transformer within the North Hyde electrical substation caught fire in Hayes.

Over 1,300 flights are expected to be delayed or cancelled on Friday as travellers face chaos ahead of the weekend.

Heathrow is the UK's largest airport, with more than 83.9 million passengers travelling through its terminals in 2024.

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A Heathrow spokesperson said: "Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation. Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.

"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025. We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.

"We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation."

The public has been urged to "avoid the area", with the London Fire Brigade adding that 150 people had been evacuated and a 200-metre cordon "put in place as a precaution".

The fire is thought to have started at the substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes.

Part of the substation remains alight according to reports, with flames and smoke seen bellowing into the night sky.

A National Grid spokesperson has said they are "working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible" after the fire left 16,000 homes without electricity.

"I was crossing a bridge and there was a huge explosion," one eyewitness told LBC.

Explaining that he felt the heat from the explosion, Abs told Ben Kentish that "all the power is out for the entire area up to Hounslow."

Footage from the scene shows large blankets of flames lighting up the skies close to Heathrow Airport.

According to the Powertrack site, around 16,000 households are thought to be without electricity.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks confirmed a large-scale power outage in the surrounding areas.

Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne from the London Fire Brigade said: "This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible.

"The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption.

"This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on scene throughout the night. As we head into the morning, disruption is expected to increase, and we urge people to avoid the area wherever possible".

Online tracking services showed flights being diverted to Gatwick, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris or Ireland's Shannon Airport.

London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were on the scene at Nestles Avenue in Hayes.

Around 150 people have been evacuated from surrounding properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution.

One X user, @Azkka, posted a video of flames erupting from behind a supermarket located near the scene, adding: "Looks like the industrial estate behind the Tesco in Hayes".

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said at least 16,000 homes have been left without power in the wake of the blaze and asked any vulnerable people to contact them.

"We're aware of a widespread power cut affecting many of our customers around the Hayes, Hounslow and surrounding areas," they said.

Emergency services were called to the scene at 11.23pm on Thursday. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.