SINGAPORE, March 21 — Flights between Singapore and London’s Heathrow Airport faced significant disruptions today after the United Kingdom’s busiest airport was forced to close due to a power outage caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation.
At least 11 outward-bound flights from Changi Airport were either cancelled or diverted, leaving passengers stranded and scrambling for alternative arrangements.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) confirmed to Straits Times that six of its flights were affected.
SQ305, SQ317, SQ319, and SQ321, all scheduled for departure from London today, were cancelled. SQ318, set to leave Singapore at 12.45pm, was also scrapped.
Additionally, SQ308, which had already departed Singapore, was forced to return and is expected to land back at Changi Airport at 4.30pm before being cancelled.
Several flights had to be diverted to nearby airports.
SQ322, which left Singapore yesterday, was rerouted to Frankfurt, while SQ306, which departed today, was sent to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Qantas also experienced disruptions. Flight QF1, en route to London from Singapore, was diverted to Paris, with affected passengers being transferred to London by bus on a nine-hour journey.
Meanwhile, Flight QF2, scheduled to depart from Heathrow to Singapore, was also impacted.
British Airways flights BA12 and BA16, departing from Singapore on March yesterday and today respectively, were diverted to Gatwick Airport.
The London Fire Brigade said today that the fire in the electricity substation in Hayes is now under control.
However, a spokesman for Heathrow Airport said in an email to Reuters that significant disruptions are expected in the coming days.
According to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, at least 120 flights will need to divert due to Heathrow’s closure.
As the world’s second-busiest international airport in 2024, behind Dubai, Heathrow’s closure is set to cause widespread knock-on effects in global air travel.