London's Heathrow Airport, a major international travel hub, is currently experiencing significant disruptions due to a "significant power outage" caused by a large fire in the vicinity. The closure has resulted in widespread chaos, impacting thousands of flights and potentially causing travel disturbances for days to come.

Heathrow Airport authorities have announced that the airport will remain closed until at least 11:59 PM on March 21st. The announcement was made to ensure the safety of passengers and staff. Passengers are strongly advised not to travel to the airport and to contact their respective airlines for updates and alternative arrangements. The airport spokesperson issued an apology for the considerable inconvenience caused.

According to Flightradar24, a live flight-tracking website, at least 120 aircraft were en route to Heathrow when the closure was announced. Heathrow serves as a crucial link connecting London to over 230 destinations across nearly 90 countries and serves as a base for approximately 90 airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

British Airways has issued a statement advising customers scheduled to depart from Heathrow on Friday not to proceed to the airport until further notice. The airline acknowledged the significant impact on its operations and customers and assured that they are actively working to provide updates on travel options for the immediate future.

Airlines are diverting flights to alternative airports such as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Frankfurt Airport, Shannon Airport, and Gatwick Airport. United Airlines has confirmed that seven of its flights have either returned to their origin or have been rerouted to other airports. Singapore Airlines has diverted three flights to Frankfurt and Paris, while two flights have returned to Singapore. Cathay Pacific and Air France have also announced cancellations of numerous flights to and from Heathrow.

Virgin Atlantic has urged passengers traveling to or from London Heathrow to refrain from going to the departure airport. The airline is offering flexible options, including rebooking on the next available flight, rescheduling for a later date, or changing destinations within its network. Customers who no longer wish to travel can also request a refund.

Ryanair has introduced eight “rescue flights” between Dublin and London Stansted to assist stranded passengers, with four flights on Friday and four more on Saturday.

Kim Mikkel Skibrek, a passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from the US to London, experienced the disruption firsthand when the flight had to return to Minneapolis after three hours. Despite the initial frustration, Skibrek remains hopeful of boarding another flight to London as soon as possible.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of the Advantage Travel Partnership, emphasized the severity of the situation, stating that an incident of this magnitude at one of the world’s busiest airports will have a significant impact on travel in the coming days. She stressed the importance of safety and expressed confidence that the airport and airlines are working diligently to resume operations.

Lo Bue-Said also highlighted that Friday is typically the busiest day for travel, further exacerbating the impact of the incident. Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, estimates that the financial losses resulting from the shutdown could reach hundreds of millions of pounds. He anticipates widespread disruptions throughout the weekend and into the following week as airlines work to resolve the backlog of flights and address the problems caused by the closure.

In 2024, Heathrow Airport served a record-breaking 83.9 million passengers.