US Passengers Face Flight Chaos as Major Airport Closed

Thousands of American travelers face travel chaos after their flights were cancelled or turned around mid-air following a fire near London’s Heathrow Airport.
The airport shut down operations on Friday after a massive blaze at a nearby electrical substation knocked out power, forcing the cancellation or diversion of over 1,300 flights, impacting more than 100,000 travelers worldwide.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” airport officials wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Why It Matters
Heathrow Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports, with 83,894,012 passengers passing through it in 2024, according to its own figures on its website.
The disruption will have a major impact for Americans who had flights to Heathrow booked and could also have some secondary impact on other airports, given the airport’s hub status.
What To Know
United Airlines said seven of its flights returned to their origin or were diverted to other airports and added that all other flights scheduled to the airport on Friday were cancelled.
Delta Air Lines issued a waiver for affected travelers with flights booked for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to and from Heathrow. The waiver allows these passengers to change their flights to another day without paying a higher fare in most instances.
JetBlue also had flights due to depart from Heathrow on Friday, which have now also been cancelled.
The route between Heathrow Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport is the busiest in the world.

James Manning/Press Association via AP Images
The electrical substation fire is being investigated by counter-terrorism officers from London’s Metropolitan Police as a “precautionary measure,” the force told the BBC.
London Fire Brigade Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Smith said the fire was still 10 percent alight at 11 a.m. local time and had struck a transformer complex holding 25,000 liters of oil.
Smith added the Metropolitan Police had categorized the blaze as a major incident.
X account “Turbine Traveller,” who according to their bio shares industry trends and breaking aviation news, posted what it claimed was a video shot by a passenger onboard American Airlines flight AA730 from Charlotte, North Carolina, to London showing the moment the pilot said they would be returning to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
In the video, the pilot can be heard saying: “As some of you may have noticed on the TV screen, we have made a 180-degree turn. We are headed back to Charlotte. Let me tell you what’s going on. There was a huge fire at the substation at London Heathrow. The runways have lights but there’s no power at all at the terminals and they are not accepting flights.” Newsweek has not independently verified the footage’s authenticity.
Passenger onboard American Airlines #AA730 from Charlotte recorded the moment Captain announced they are diverting to Charlotte.
B777(N735AT) made it all the way to the eastern edge of Canada before turning back due to a power outage at Heathrow,caused by a fire at substation. pic.twitter.com/GsGL4c3J7L— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) March 21, 2025
Speaking to the BBC, Tori Dunzello, a British woman in the U.S. who had been traveling back to the United Kingdom for her father’s funeral, said her plane had instead been diverted to Canada.
“I started picking up on it quite early because I saw the time on the screen started to increase and I turned on my world map and I started seeing a big U-turn…I called the assistant over and said, ‘Are we turning around?’ and she was like ‘Yes we are because of a massive fire in Heathrow,'” she said.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, U.K.-based airline Virgin Atlantic said: “We are aware of a fire at an electrical substation near Heathrow Airport, which has resulted in the airport’s temporary closure…We kindly request that all customers do not travel to Heathrow or their scheduled departure airport, or contact our customer centre at this time and instead check their flight status at virginatlantic.com where latest information is being updated.”
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday: “I know the situation in Heathrow is causing distress and disruption, especially for those travelling or without power in their homes. I’m receiving regular updates and I’m in close contact with partners on the ground. Thanks to our emergency workers for keeping people safe.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement: “Electricity suppliers are working hard to restore power, but Heathrow Airport have said they will be closed all day and has warned of significant disruption over the coming days. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport under any circumstances.”
Matt Tyler, a cabin crew employee, wrote on X on Friday: “Board a flight headed for London Heathrow from New York… end up in Reykjavik!”
What Happens Next?
Heathrow will be closed for the entirety of Friday, and authorities are warning the impact could extend for several days.
Update 3/21/25, 11:52 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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