The complete shutdown of Heathrow – the world’s second-busiest airport this month according to data from travel analyst OAG – is causing flight disruption across the globe.
A fire at a nearby electrical substation on Thursday night has left the airport and thousands of nearby homes and businesses without power. It will remain closed on Friday and passengers have been told not to travel to the airport until it reopens.
According to aviation analysis platform Cirium, Heathrow was due to see more than 1,330 scheduled flights on Friday, flying up 291,000 passengers. More than half of these were due to be operated by British Airways, which is based at Terminal 5.
A spokesperson for British Airways said that the closure “will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we’re working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond”.
The airline has redirected some inbound flights that were already on their way to Heathrow.
London Gatwick has accepted seven diverted flights that were scheduled to land at Heathrow on Friday. A spokesperson for the Sussex airport said: “Flights are operating from London Gatwick as normal today.”
London Stansted is also operating as normal. The airport has limited capacity for diverted flights but had not received any requests as of 10am on Friday morning.
London Luton has said there is no impact on its operations and no diversions have been requested.
Here’s what to know if your flight has been affected.
Passengers with flights departing from Heathrow should not travel to the airport until a timeline is announced for its reopening.
A Heathrow spokesperson said “whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored. To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we made the decision to close Heathrow until 11.59pm on 21 March, 2025”.
“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.
“We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available.”
Engage with your airline
Due to the scale of the disruption, airlines may be slow to respond. Passengers whose flights have been cancelled and who have not received any communication from their airline, should keep up to date via their relevant websites and social media channels.
Virgin Atlantic has asked passengers not to contact its customer services centre due to the high volume of calls, and said it will contact passengers by email.
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All flights departing Heathrow on Friday have been cancelled. If you decide to accept the cancellation and take a full refund, this should be paid within seven days. However, it is important to know that when this option is accepted, your airline has no further duty of care – it is up to you to organise any further travel plans.
Alternatively, you can accept a re-routed flight. Your airline should contact you to offer rebooking details. This is likely to be on the next available flight, which could mean a significant wait, depending on when Heathrow reopens.
However, it should also offer the option to travel on a different carrier and from a different airport if this is significantly earlier than the next available flight from Heathrow. If this is not offered and you need to travel urgently, you can organise an alternative flight yourself, and submit a claim to your airline – keep all receipts.
Airlines also have a duty of care to passengers who have chosen to be re-routed. If you are overseas and were due to return back to Heathrow, it should organise overnight accommodation and transport to the hotel as well as reasonable food and drink costs. If this is not offered, passengers can organise a reasonable alternative and submit a claim to the airline retrospectively.
Ryanair has announced some additional “rescue” flights on Friday between Dublin and Stansted.
National Express and other transport operators have cancelled services to Heathrow on Friday. Many are offering free ticket amendments, but should also offer an option to cancel for a full refund.
Weekend departures: consider the options
Flights will be significantly disrupted over the weekend, potentially for longer depending on when Heathrow reopens. Flight tracker Flightradar24 says that 4,545 flights are scheduled to depart from the airport in the next seven days.
Passengers with flights departing on Saturday, Sunday and early next week should keep up to date with airlines’ websites and social media channels.
It is not advisable to cancel a flight if the airline has said it will operate, since this could be considered a disinclination to travel and will likely result in forfeiting the cost of the flight.
Heathrow’s website will also be updated when there is a timeline for reopening, with departures updated accordingly.
Using a flight tracker such as Flightradar24 can also provide information about the location of planes for cancelled flights.
If your airline has provided an update that your flight is disrupted or cancelled, you can request a refund or to be rerouted. Otherwise, it is advisable to wait for further information.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is advising passengers to check its website for their passenger rights: caa.co.uk/passengers-and-public/resolving-travel-problems/delays-and-cancellations.
Count the costs
Because the closure was due to an incident beyond Heathrow’s and its operating airlines’ control, no compensation will be due to affected passengers.
However, you should check your travel insurance policy as some associated costs could be covered, such as airport parking fees, additional transport costs, and car hire.
If your flight to Heathrow was diverted to another airport, your airline must bear the cost of transferring you to another close-by destination agreed with you. If you have paid for this yourself, keep receipts and submit a claim.
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