Fire at Power Substation Causes Total Outage, Cancelling Over 1,300 Flights and Creating Chaos in Global Air Travel

Written by Carla Teles

Published on 21/03/2025 at 21:47

Updated on 21/03/2025 at 21:48

O Aeroporto de Heathrow fica em Londres e é um dos mais movimentados do mundo. Todos os dias, milhares de pessoas passam por lá para viajar para vários países.

Be the first to react!

On Thursday night, March 20, a fire at Heathrow Airport began in an electrical substation in the Hayes area, west of London. The flames interrupted the power supply, completely paralyzing the systems of the largest airport in the United Kingdom. According to BBC News Brazil, the incident compromised signaling, lighting, and even boarding services.

The result of the fire was immediate: more than 1,300 flights canceled and around 200,000 passengers impacted, as reported by El País. The emergency response mobilized about 70 firefighters to contain the flames.

How The Fire At Heathrow Airport Affected Airlines

With the crisis underway, companies like British Airways temporarily suspended all operations at Heathrow. The company reported that only eight international flights took off on Friday night, after emergency authorization, including routes to Johannesburg, Sydney, and Singapore, according to HuffPost Spain.

Passengers reported confusion, long lines, and a lack of information. The fire at Heathrow Airport also caused impacts on hotels, transport networks, and baggage logistics, showing the extent of the collapse.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Are There Suspicions of Sabotage in The Airport Fire?

According to The Wall Street Journal, there is no evidence of sabotage. The Metropolitan Police of London activated its Counterterrorism Unit only as a precautionary measure. British experts have, however, warned about the fragility of critical infrastructures and the urgent need for more resilient response systems.

Even without a direct connection to crime, the fire at Heathrow Airport exposed vulnerabilities that concern authorities in the aviation and national security sectors.

When Should The Airport Return To Normal?

The power company managed to restore part of the energy on Friday afternoon. According to El País, the first landing occurred around 6:30 PM GMT, and new departures took place gradually. The airport management expects a complete normalization of operations by Saturday, March 22.

The fire at Heathrow Airport is considered one of the most serious recorded in a European air hub in recent years, raising discussions about safety, prevention, and contingency structure in large international terminals.

Fire at Power Substation Causes Total Outage, Cancelling Over 1,300 Flights and Creating Chaos in Global Air Travel

How The Fire At Heathrow Airport Affected Airlines

Are There Suspicions of Sabotage in The Airport Fire?

When Should The Airport Return To Normal?

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

With 4 engines, an 8,000 km range, torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, the Kawasaki P-1 is the Japanese submarine hunter made to patrol the Pacific and find invisible threats on the seabed.

New credit for Uber, 99, and taxi drivers can pave the way for car ownership, reduce the burden of car rental costs in their budget, and change the math for those who make a living from traffic every day.

Small on the outside and surprising on the inside, the Emerald prefabricated house draws attention by featuring a full kitchen, luxury bathroom, dishwasher, smart climate control, thermal and acoustic insulation, and mobility for less than 8,000 euros.

End of an era: Volkswagen is set to end production of one of the last heirs of the Gol in Brazil after more than 40 years and over 1.6 million units sold

Canadians are disappearing from the United States: The US feels the absence of Canada financially, while hotels, casinos, and tourist destinations try to attract visitors back with promotions.

Fire at Power Substation Causes Total Outage, Cancelling Over 1,300 Flights and Creating Chaos in Global Air Travel

How The Fire At Heathrow Airport Affected Airlines

Are There Suspicions of Sabotage in The Airport Fire?

When Should The Airport Return To Normal?

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

New credit for Uber, 99, and taxi drivers can pave the way for car ownership, reduce the burden of car rental costs in their budget, and change the math for those who make a living from traffic every day.

Canadians are disappearing from the United States: The US feels the absence of Canada financially, while hotels, casinos, and tourist destinations try to attract visitors back with promotions.

Unclaimed funds will enter a new phase this Tuesday: banks must send funds to the government, while R$ 10.5 billion in idle funds could help finance Desenrola 2.0 and ensure debt renegotiation within the financial system.

Lula scraps the blouse tax, and international purchases up to US$50 are exempt from federal tax, but ICMS is still on the radar.

With 4 engines, an 8,000 km range, torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, the Kawasaki P-1 is the Japanese submarine hunter made to patrol the Pacific and find invisible threats on the seabed.

New credit for Uber, 99, and taxi drivers can pave the way for car ownership, reduce the burden of car rental costs in their budget, and change the math for those who make a living from traffic every day.

Small on the outside and surprising on the inside, the Emerald prefabricated house draws attention by featuring a full kitchen, luxury bathroom, dishwasher, smart climate control, thermal and acoustic insulation, and mobility for less than 8,000 euros.

End of an era: Volkswagen is set to end production of one of the last heirs of the Gol in Brazil after more than 40 years and over 1.6 million units sold

Canadians are disappearing from the United States: The US feels the absence of Canada financially, while hotels, casinos, and tourist destinations try to attract visitors back with promotions.