Heathrow Airport has closed due to a significant power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport. Airport authorities confirmed Heathrow will remain shut until 23:59 on Friday, 21 March, as emergency services continue to deal with the aftermath of the incident.

Passengers scheduled to fly from Heathrow have been advised not to travel to the airport and instead contact their airlines directly for updates.

The closure has impacted flights across multiple airports, including Cork. Two scheduled flights from Cork Airport to Heathrow – the 07:40 service this morning and the upcoming 11:55 departure – have been cancelled due to Heathrow’s closure.

In response to the disruption, Ryanair has launched eight special rescue flights for affected passengers. These rescue flights will operate today and tomorrow between Dublin and Stansted Airport. On both Friday and Saturday, two flights will operate from Dublin to Stansted, and two from Stansted to Dublin. Bookings opened at 09:30 today on Ryanair’s website.

London Fire Brigade confirmed the fire is now under control and stated that no injuries occurred during the incident. Emergency responders remain on-site, and investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

Heathrow Airport has apologised for any inconvenience caused and stated:

“We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation. Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.”

Passengers planning to travel via Heathrow are urged to monitor updates from their airlines and Heathrow Airport directly.