A fire at a nearby electrical substation is forcing the closure of London’s Heathrow Airport for the entire day on March 21, causing widespread disruptions to international air travel.
According to Reuters, the shutdown is expected to impact up to 291,000 passengers across 1,351 scheduled flights and prompted a scramble by airlines to reroute travelers or cancel operations outright.
The outage, traced to a fire at the North Hyde Electricity substation, led airport officials to suspend all flights until nearly midnight. Newsweek recently reported that some limited flights have operated since, and that Heathrow is expecting to fully reopen on Saturday. The financial cost of the fire—described as unprecedented for Heathrow—is likely to be huge.
What’s Happening at Heathrow Airport?
The fire that triggered Heathrow’s closure broke out shortly before midnight on Thursday, March 20. Seventy firefighters and 10 engines were dispatched to the substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes. The fire, though contained by 6:30 a.m. Friday, knocked out power to large portions of west London, including the airport, reported Fox Business.
“The fire has caused a widespread power outage, affecting many homes, local businesses, and Heathrow Airport,” London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said in a statement to Fox Business.
Do Airlines Have to Compensate for Cancelled Flights?
In the case of the Heathrow power outage, airlines are not legally required to pay financial compensation. Under UK261 regulations, airlines are only obligated to offer cash payouts when a cancellation or delay is within their control. Disruptions stemming from “extraordinary circumstances”—such as fires, power outages, and severe weather—are explicitly exempt from compensation rules, reports The Independent.
That said, airlines are responsible for care and assistance. According to The New York Times, flights that either leave from a United Kingdom airport, land there on a British or European Union (EU) carrier, or arrive in the EU on a British airline are subject to U.K. air passenger rights regulations.
What Do Airlines Owe You if a Flight is Cancelled?
Even when compensation is not required, airlines must provide passengers with certain services. That includes hotel accommodations, meals, and transportation for overnight delays. If a flight is canceled and a traveler chooses not to fly, the airline must issue a full refund within a week, reports The Independent.
The Independent reports that flight delays under two hours have no rights. Delays of two hours or longer for short flights are subject to refreshments. The same is required of mid-length flights with three-hour delays and of longer trips with four-hour delays.
The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) lists what is required of airlines on its website:
- A reasonable amount of food and drink (often provided in the form of vouchers)
- A means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of your calls)
- Accommodation, if you are re-routed the next day (usually in a nearby hotel)
- Transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there)
The Independent explains that in many cases, carriers ask travelers to arrange lodging themselves and submit receipts afterward for reimbursement, often citing logistical difficulties in making the arrangements directly.
“The airline must provide you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it,” the CAA says on its website.
Travelers affected by the Heathrow incident are therefore entitled to assistance such as meals, hotel accommodations, and rebooking—but not to the standard £220–£520 compensation payments issued for airline-caused cancellations.
What Happens if a Flight is Delayed?
Delays follow a similar rule set. In the U.K. and EU, passengers are entitled to food and drink depending on the length of the delay and distance of the flight. UK261 rules specify refreshments after two hours for short-haul, three hours for medium-haul, and four hours for long-haul flights.
A long delay caused by the airline, such as a mechanical fault, may entitle passengers to compensation, but delays from the Heathrow outage are not eligible.
USA Today explains that, in the U.S., a recent Department of Transportation rule allows for refunds in the event of a “significant delay” due to an airline-controlled issue. The threshold is three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.
What to Do if Your Flight Is Canceled or Delayed
Airlines advise passengers to contact them directly via apps, websites, social media, or help desks to rebook or request accommodations. Travelers should retain receipts, boarding passes, and a record of expenses for reimbursement.
USA Today also advised having some alternative flights in mind when speaking to an agent if you’re looking to rebook.
Each airline maintains an online form to process claims. The Independent reported that if a claim is unjustly denied, passengers can consider legal options including a “Letter Before Action” or turning to third-party claims processors—though some charge up to 50 percent of the payout.
When Will Heathrow Airport Reopen?
A spokesperson for the airport previously told Fox Business that there’s no timeline for when power will be restored to the airport but that crews are working as quickly as possible to get it back up and running. The airport reopened at midnight local time, but airlines warned that disruptions could continue.
“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens,” the Heathrow spokesperson told Fox Business.
Newsweek more recently reported that some limited flights have operated since, and that Heathrow is expecting to fully reopen on Saturday.
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