The airport announced early on Friday it would be closed until 11.59pm because of a fire at a nearby electrical substation.
Around 200,000 passengers have been affected by the closure.
Online flight tracking service Flightradar24 said more than 1,350 flights were scheduled to take off or land at Heathrow on Friday.
Our teams have worked tirelessly since the incident to ensure a speedy recovery. We’re now safely able to restart flights, prioritising repatriation and relocation of aircraft. Please do not travel to the airport unless your airline has advised you to do so. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/fhUGiXCh6B
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) March 21, 2025
Power returned to the airport this afternoon, thanks to an “interim” fix from National Grid, however the Airport remained closed.
Heathrow Airport to allow “some” flights later today
But now Heathrow Airport have said it will be able to “safely” begin some flights from later today (Friday).
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Our teams have worked tirelessly since the incident to ensure a speedy recovery.
“We’re pleased to say we’re now safely able to begin some flights later today.
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“Our first flights will be repatriation flights and relocating aircraft. Please do not travel to the airport unless your airline has advised you to do so.
“We will now work with the airlines on repatriating the passengers who were diverted to other airports in Europe. We hope to run a full operation tomorrow and will provide further information shortly.
“Our priority remains the safety of our passengers and those working at the airport. As the busiest airport in Europe, Heathrow uses as much energy as a small city, therefore getting back to a full and safe operation takes time. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this incident.”
