by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 7:45 AM ET, Fri March 21, 2025
The full-day closure of London's Heathrow Airport on March 21, 2025, due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, has caused significant chaos.
One of the biggest travel hubs in the world will remain closed throughout the day impacting over 1,300 flights and hundreds of thousands of passengers, Forbes reports.
Major airlines such as Air Canada, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Lufthansa have been affected.
"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March," the airport stated on X (formerly Twitter).
"Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience."
FlightRadar 24 reports 679 flights were scheduled to land and 678 flights were scheduled to take off from Heathrow today. The impact is likely to last several days as passengers try to reschedule flights.
Virgin Atlantic (Photo Credit: X (formerly Twitter))
According to MSN, approximately 120 flights were in the air when the closure was announced. Some flights were turned around, while others were diverted to Gatwick Airport outside London, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, or Shannon Airport in Ireland.
The fire at a power station, located about 2 miles from the airport, was brought under control approximately seven hours after it erupted in a massive blaze, according to the London Fire Brigade.
"Industry experts said tourism, travel and trade would be further disrupted around the world, as flights will be cancelled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position," reports CBC News.
Passengers are advised to monitor updates from their airlines and Heathrow Airport's official channels for the latest information on flight statuses and rebooking procedures.
Watch live air traffic here.
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