For more than six hours, a power station responsible for powering Heathrow Airport was engulfed in flames, resulting in a truly unique event in the history of modern British air travel: a total blackout, closing Europe's largest airport for at least 24 hours. In addition to cutting power to more than 16,000 homes, the substation also powered the airport, which created chaos both on the ground and in the air.
Located on Nestles Avenue in Hayes, the North Hyde Electricity Substation called in more than 70 firefighters to evacuate 150 people and battle flames shooting up to a height of more than 100 meters. Hotels around the airport were also left without power. "I'm in a hotel near Heathrow and we've got no electricity," commented one user on X, while another said: "So that's why my hotel in Heathrow has no electricity!"
1,351 flights affected
According to a FlightRadar24 official, who spoke on X, London Heathrow Airport had recorded a total of 1,351 flights as of Friday, March 21, 2025. "Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage. To ensure the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 11:59 p.m. on March 21," Heathrow Airport Holdings said early Friday morning.
For aviation enthusiasts, the situation is nothing short of mind-boggling. Looking at real-time data from FlightRadar24, the area around Heathrow Airport has been completely deserted, and no flights have been reported in the vicinity. Only transit flights are displayed, and you have to go further south to Gatwick or further north to Stansted to find planes. By clicking on the airport profile, with its takeoffs and landings, you can see hundreds of cancellations, and just as many diverted flights.
Because during the night, while the fire raged and Heathrow lost its power, many transatlantic flights continued their route to Europe's largest airport. Early in the morning, they received instructions to change route, diverting to Shiphol Airport in particular, Amsterdam, but also Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and Shannon in Ireland.
220,000 travelers every day
The situation will take days to resolve as all these planes will have to leave, and airlines will have to arrange for their passengers to be repatriated. Speaking of the latter, more than 230,000 people head to London Heathrow Airport every day, making it the most visited airport in Europe, and the fourth most visited in the world, behind Atlanta, Dubai and Dallas-Fort Worth. Consequently, 1.5 million bags are also at risk of being delayed, the equivalent of a Paris-London flight of suitcases on a chain.
200 destinations, the most connected airport in the world
Yesterday, while Orange and SITA signed a new partnership to support the expansion of global air traffic and the urgent need to offer solutions to avoid any problems, the event at Heathrow this Friday, March 21, demonstrates the vulnerability of airport infrastructure to power outages. The domino effect will be colossal, since in addition to being the busiest airport in Europe, Heathrow is the most connected in the world.
By this, we mean that the airport offers the most destinations in the world, with more than 200 connected airports. It serves all inhabited continents, with more than 80 countries, whether in North America, South America, Central America, Asia, Oceania, or even Africa, in addition to Europe.
2 runways, but work is starting
With a landing or takeoff every minute, Heathrow Airport only has two runways. A huge difference compared to other airports like Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, which has 4, or Chicago O’Hare, which has 8. It must be said that its expansion projects never saw the light of day, and it was only last January that the airport received the green light from the government to begin construction of a third runway, which should be operational by 2035. By then, global air traffic will have practically doubled, with up to 9 billion passengers.
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