Closure of London Heathrow Airport Disrupts Flight Schedules Worldwide

London Heathrow Airport was closed on Friday, March 21, following a major fire at a nearby power station that knocked out the airport's electricity. This incident disrupted flight schedules globally. According to Reuters, about 70 firefighters were battling the blaze in West London, which caused the regional backup power system to fail, resulting in widespread power outages at the airport. Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe and the fifth-busiest in the world. The report adds that before firefighters announced the fire was under control, large flames and black smoke were clearly visible in the sky around the airport. By early morning, the streets surrounding the UK's largest airport were nearly empty, with only a few passengers seen leaving the airport with their luggage. The London Fire Brigade announced that it had begun an investigation into the fire in cooperation with other relevant organizations. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and no reports have been released indicating it was intentional. On Friday, 1,351 flights were scheduled to operate at Heathrow, transporting up to 291,000 passengers, but the airport will remain closed until midnight. The railway service has also canceled all train journeys to and from the airport. The Associated Press reported that at the time of the airport's closure announcement, about 120 aircraft were in the air, with some returning to their departure airports and others rerouted to Gatwick Airport outside London, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, or Shannon Airport in Ireland. Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world for international travel. Earlier in 2025, it experienced its busiest January. Today's disruption is reminiscent of the delays in 2023 that affected UK airports when the UK's air traffic control system malfunctioned, slowing the takeoff and landing of aircraft at one of the busiest airports in the world.