On 21 March 2025, a power cut caused by a fire at an electrical substation forced Heathrow Airport to close, for a reported 18 hours.
Reports claim that some 200 passengers’ journeys were impacted by this closure.
UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer commented that he was “deeply concerned” about the airport’s closure, and an investigation has been ordered into the incident.
On the day of the closure, Angus Hind, director of air and sea freight company Europa Air & Sea, said: “Today’s closure of Heathrow – Europe’s busiest and the UK’s biggest airport – is going to have a profound impact on supply chains for days, and potentially weeks, to come.
“With more than 1,000 flights to and from London Heathrow being rerouted or cancelled, this day of closure hugely disrupts both the carriers’ schedules and the general day-to-day operation of the airport. No cargo is scheduled to land today and even if the airport reopens this evening as planned, we will see disruption for days ahead.
“Airline handling facilities are operating as normal, so airline transfers from European hubs and UK airports will continue to arrive on the ground and be processed as normal, however, we will need to be patient as these facilities work through the backlog of freight while flights start to arrive.
“For us in the industry, I would expect this disruption to continue throughout the next week. Due to Ramadan, poised for the end of March, we are operating at higher volumes of trade to and from the Middle East currently.
“Europa Air & Sea has proactive and reactive teams based both in the UK, at Heathrow Airport, and in Dubai, who are supporting all customers impacted. As the situation continues to unfold, we are well placed globally to help.”
