Heathrow Power Outage: Thai Airways Diverted to Brussels
A fire at a crucial electrical substation near London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday, March 21, 2025, caused a power outage and airport closure, disrupting air travel. This forced Thai Airways International (THAI) flight TG910, bound for London, to divert to Brussels. The incident, which sent plumes of smoke into the sky, significantly impacted international flight schedules, highlighting the vulnerability of major airports to infrastructure failures.
Thai Airways flight TG910, scheduled to land at Heathrow at 6:40 a. m. local time, departed Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 12:44 a. m. on Friday. Instead of landing in London, it was rerouted to Brussels Airport, arriving at 6:57 a. m. local time (12:57 p. m. Thailand time). Flightradar24 and FlightAware confirmed this information.
Heathrow, Europe’s second-busiest airport, issued a public advisory urging passengers to avoid the airport and contact their airlines for updates. The airport’s statement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), apologized for the disruption. A widely circulated video vividly illustrated the fire’s severity.
The closure presented significant logistical challenges for airlines. THAI proactively advised passengers on Friday and Saturday London-Bangkok flights to monitor its social media for updates. The airline identified several potentially affected flights: outbound flight TG910 (departing Bangkok at 12:05 a. m. on Saturday), and inbound flights TG911 and TG917 (departing London at 11:50 a. m. and 9:35 p. m. local time on Friday, respectively).
The impact extended beyond THAI. As reported by the South China Morning Post on its X account, Cathay Pacific considered cancelling Hong Kong-Heathrow flights due to the power outage. This underscores the interconnectedness of global air travel and how localized events can cause widespread disruptions.
The fire raises serious questions about airport infrastructure resilience. While the full extent of the damage and Heathrow’s return-to-service timeline remain unclear, the incident highlights the importance of robust contingency planning and investment in critical infrastructure to ensure the smooth and safe operation of vital transport hubs. The incident’s ripple effects will likely continue as airlines reschedule flights and assist stranded passengers.
