Heathrow Airport Closure: Fire at Electrical Substation Causes Major Disruptions

Heathrow Airport remained closed Friday following a major fire at a nearby electrical substation that triggered a large-scale power outage and brought Britain’s busiest air hub to a standstill. The blaze, which erupted late Thursday at the North Hyde substation in Hayes, West London, forced the cancellation and diversion of more than 1,300 flights and disrupted the travel plans of nearly 300,000 passengers worldwide.

Ten fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters responded to the emergency. The flames led to the evacuation of over 150 people from surrounding buildings, while power was knocked out to more than 67,000 homes in the area. Authorities have since confirmed that Heathrow’s critical systems were directly impacted by the outage, leaving the airport unable to process check-ins, baggage, or air traffic communications.

Airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Lufthansa were among those hardest hit, with passengers diverted to other airports such as Gatwick, Charles de Gaulle, and as far as Shannon in Ireland and Goose Bay in Canada. Travellers reported confusion and long delays, with some stranded in terminals and others redirected mid-air with little information. Carriers have urged passengers not to travel to Heathrow and to monitor their flight statuses closely, while also promising to provide assistance and reimbursements for related expenses.

Though early speculation linked the incident to rising concerns over infrastructure sabotage, counter-terrorism police leading the investigation have so far found no evidence of foul play. Still, security has been tightened, and officials say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The UK Department for Transport and National Grid engineers are working around the clock to restore full operations, but airport authorities have warned that disruption could extend into the weekend or longer. The incident is being described as one of the worst operational crises since the volcanic ash cloud of 2010, which closed UK airspace for six days.

In a statement, Heathrow officials apologised for the inconvenience and said passenger safety and system integrity remain the top priorities. Travellers are urged to follow airline updates and avoid unnecessary travel to the airport while recovery efforts continue.

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