Warren Hu, a college student from New York, was on his flight to London to visit his girlfriend when his travel plans were disrupted due to a fire near Heathrow Airport. The plane was set to return to the United States, and Hu expressed his surprise but remained calm. The fire, which occurred at an electrical substation, caused power outage at Heathrow, leading to its closure for the entire day and potential disruptions for days to come. Heathrow’s flight board showed flights canceled or delayed from various destinations such as Vietnam, Brunei, India, and several cities in the U.S. and Asia. Many passengers, such as Lukas Zou from Shenzhen, were left stranded and had to make alternative arrangements for their accommodations and flights. Numerous airlines had to divert or cancel their flights to and from Heathrow, affecting up to 290,000 passengers. British Airways redirected flights already en route to Heathrow to other airports in Britain. Passengers at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, including a group of high school students, were also affected by the cancellations. American, Asian, and Australian airlines also faced disruptions, diverting or canceling flights to Heathrow. Nicholas Yong contributed reporting from Singapore.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/world/europe/heathrow-airport-closure-flights.html