Live Updates on the London Heathrow Airport Shutdown: Flights at Heathrow restart following a significant power outage due to a fire.

UK Live Updates on the London Heathrow Airport Shutdown: Heathrow Airport experienced a significant power loss on Friday due to a fire at an electrical substation, which forced the busiest airport in Europe to close for almost eighteen hours. About 200,000 passengers were left stuck as a result of the interruption, which also caused numerous airline cancellations and rerouting difficulties.

At a substation 3.2 kilometers from the airport, the fire started just before midnight on Thursday and took firemen around seven hours to put out. There were no indications of foul play, and the London Fire Brigade said that the substation's electrical distribution equipment would be the main focus of the inquiry.

The outage affected not only Heathrow but also thousands of nearby homes. At least 1,350 flights were impacted, according to FlightRadar24, with disruptions expected to continue for several days as airlines work to rearrange schedules and reposition aircraft and crews.

West London locals reported hearing a loud explosion, followed by a fireball and dense smoke, as the blaze tore through the substation. At the time of the closure, around 120 flights were already in the air. Flight tracking data showed that some were diverted to Gatwick Airport, Charles de Gaulle near Paris, or Shannon Airport in Ireland, while others were forced to turn back.

Heathrow Airport was closed. Live Updates: Flight Chaos: Cancellations & Diversions
Numerous planes were redirected to other locations, cancelled, or turned back in midair. Mark Doherty, a passenger whose flight from JFK to Heathrow had to return to New York, was upset with what he perceived as the UK's lack of a contingency plan. Other passengers, such as the family of Andrea Sri who was going to Dallas, were told their delayed flight would not leave, leaving them in a state of uncertainty. Airlines rushed to come up with answers; Qantas, for example, changed flights from Australia to Paris and set up subsequent bus and train travel to London.

The closure of Heathrow Airport Live Updates: No Suspected Foul Play
Because of their experience evaluating critical infrastructure disasters, Metropolitan Police have claimed that counterterrorism detectives are spearheading the inquiry while authorities continue to determine the source of the fire. So far, there are no indications of foul play.

Heathrow Airport was closed. Real-time updates: A chronology of the crisis's development
Yesterday, at 23:23 GMT, emergency personnel arrived at a fire on Hayes' Nestles Avenue.

Heathrow Airport was closed until 23:59 GMT at 04:30 GMT because of a "significant power outage" brought on by the fire.

06:28 GMT: The fire was contained. About 150 residents were evacuated, and thousands of people lost power.

Midday: While Counter Terrorism Command resumed its probe, Met Police ruled out foul play.

14:30 GMT: Power was restored to Terminal 4. National Grid confirmed an “interim solution” for local customers and the airport.

16:00 GMT: Heathrow announced it could “safely restart flights,” aiming for full operation the next day.

17:00 GMT: British Airways confirmed clearance for eight long-haul flights to depart.

18:00 GMT: The first flight landed since the fire broke out.