London’s Heathrow Airport closed for day after power outage caused by fire at electrical substation

Australian travellers have been caught up in international flight chaos after London’s Heathrow Airport was closed for the day due to a massive power outage caused by a fire.

The fire started at an electrical substation near the busy international travel hub just before midnight on Thursday (local time).

The airport said in a statement on X that they apologised for any inconvenience to travellers.

“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the statement said.

“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March.

“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire trucks and 70 firefighters were battling the intense blaze at the nearby Hayes substation on Nestles Avenue.

“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,” assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.

“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.

“Firefighters have led 29 people to safety from neighbouring properties, and as a precaution, a 200m cordon has been established, with around 150 people evacuated.

“Due to the significant amount of smoke, we strongly advise local residents to keep their windows and doors closed.”

Mr Goulbourne said he expected fire fighters to stay on the scene throughout the night.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known.

Dramatic footage of the fire has been shared to social media, with the video showing huge plumes of smoke and fire reaching into the air.

X users were quick to blast the airport’s statement, with many demanding further information.

“You’re joking. A whole day and no backup generators,” said one.

Another asked where incoming flights were being diverted to, saying her parents were currently flying on one.

The closure is expected to affect travel plans around the world, with flight-tracking website Flightradar24 revealing that there were as many as 120 flights in the air when the airport was closed that needed to be diverted to other airports.

Flightradar24 also revealed the closure would affect at least 1351 flights around the world.

“That doesn’t include any flights that might be canceled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position,” it said on X.

A Qantas spokesperson said the airline was “closely monitoring the situation” at Heathrow and that Friday’s direct flight from Perth to London had been diverted to Paris.

The spokesperson said today’s Singapore to London flight had also been diverted, and the closure was expected to impact two flights due to depart from London on Friday.

“We’ll contact customers directly if their flight is impacted,” the spokesperson said.

“We’ll provide further updates on the impact to London services as more information becomes available.”

The news comes as Australian travellers also faced cancellations on Jetstar flights to Bali following a huge volcanic ash cloud.

Thursday night’s large eruption of the volcano in East Nusa Tenggara province sent ash 8km into the sky and followed dozens of smaller ones since March 13, Indonesia’s geological agency said in a statement.

Jetstar, Qantas Airways’ low-cost airline, cancelled its flights between Australia and Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on Friday morning because of the volcanic ash, but said flights were expected to resume in the afternoon.

A Bali airport spokesperson said the airport was still operating, with seven international flights cancelled on Friday morning and some domestic flights delayed.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency spokesperson told Reuters one person was injured during eruption evacuations. He did not immediately have details on the size or logistics of the evacuations.

At least nine people were killed and thousands were evacuated when the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupted in November last year, pelting nearby villages with hot rocks and lava flows.

It was not immediately clear how many residents were affected by Thursday’s eruption. Indonesian authorities had said in November that it aimed to permanently relocate them.

The geological agency warned of lava floods and said there were smaller eruptions early on Friday.

More to come.