Heathrow fire: Air New Zealand’s advice to travellers after London’s Heathrow Airport closes amid power outage

• Air New Zealand is monitoring a major power outage at Europe’s busiest airport after a fire at an electrical substation.
• Heathrow Airport said it expects significant disruption over coming days, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers affected.
• Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport until it reopens just before midnight Friday.

Air New Zealand says it is “closely monitoring” the situation after a significant power outage at Europe’s busiest airport caused havoc.

West London’s Heathrow Airport was shut down early on Friday after a major fire at an electrical substation. Airport authorities are expecting “significant disruption” over the coming days, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers impacted.

“We are monitoring the situation at Heathrow Airport and any disruptions for our customers who are booked to travel with us on our codeshare partners between New Zealand and London,” Air New Zealand’s general manager of customer care Alisha Armstrong said.

“Any customers who are impacted will be rebooked on alternative flights by the operating airline.”

Armstrong encouraged customers to keep an eye on the Air NZ website and app for information on their flights.

“While disruptions of this nature are uncontrollable, we do appreciate they can cause significant inconvenience. We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this time.”

The airport took to its website on Friday, saying: “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage.” It added it would be closed until about noon Saturday (midnight Friday, UK time).

Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage.

To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March.

Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport… pic.twitter.com/7SWNJP8ojd

— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) March 21, 2025

“Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”

AFP reported that the London Fire Brigade said there had been a “significant” fire at a substation in Hayes, a town in the London borough of Hillingdon.

“The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption,” assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.

The fire was first reported early Friday afternoon (11.23pm Thursday, UK time).

🚨 BREAKING: Heathrow Airport says it will be closed all day due to significant power outage caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation

“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances” pic.twitter.com/jeqEqb8BX6

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) March 21, 2025

“This is a highly visible and significant incident and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible,” Goulbourne said.

British utility firm Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said on its website that an “unplanned outage” had left more than 16,000 homes without power in the area.

AFP earlier reported Heathrow Airport handles more than 80 million passengers a year, with about 1300 take-offs or landings each day.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.

– Additional reporting AFP