London’s Heathrow Airport was forced to close on Friday after a fire at an electrical substation caused a major power outage, disrupting flights and travel plans. The airport, Europe’s busiest, is now expected to remain closed for “significant disruption” over the coming days.
At least 1,350 flights were affected by the power outage, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Counter-terrorism officers are investigating the fire as a precautionary measure.
The power outage also impacted local communities, with National Grid U.K. reporting around 5,000 customers without electricity in the area.
Meanwhile, other news emerged from the aviation and defense sectors. Elon Musk met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after reports of him being originally scheduled to receive a top-secret briefing on a potential war with China were denied by President Trump.
Additionally, Boeing has been selected to develop the U.S. Air Force’s F-47 fighter and drone coordinator, following a secretive competition process within the service. The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) effort aims to succeed the F-22 and serve as a collaborative combat aircraft platform.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/03/21/heathrow-airport-london-fire-flight-cancellations-delays