Healthcare fire(LHR): what went wrong and why London Healthcare Air is still closed

London Health Airport (LHR), one of the world's busiest airports, will close on Friday, March 21, 2025, following a devastating fire at an electrical facility near west London. The fire broke out just before midnight on Thursday night, causing massive power cuts, disrupting the airport and disrupting global travel. Damage is expected to reach "hundreds of millions of pounds", and the impact is not limited to health. Here's a detailed analysis of what went wrong, what's happening now, and what the impact will be on passengers and the aviation industry.

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What happened at the health airport?

A huge fire broke out at the North Hyde Electric Substance, 1.5 miles from Heath Air. The fire broke out on Thursday night, cutting power to the airport and forcing it to remain closed for the entire day. According to the London Fire Brigade, 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were dispatched to put out the blaze. There were no injuries but the damage was extensive, knocking out power to LHR and leaving more than 16,000 homes and businesses without power.

Health officials said the airport's closure would last until 11:59pm GMT (4:59pm PDT) on Friday to protect passengers and staff. National Grid and the Scottish and Southern Electric network are working to restore power, but as of 07:28am it was unclear when services would resume. That means the disruptions could last throughout the week.

Why did the airport catch fire? 

Panic spread due to fire in the material The Northern Hyde substation is a critical infrastructure that supplies electricity. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Commission is leading the case because of the impact it had on "critical national infrastructure". Officers say there is no sign of foul play so far, but such a massive outburst has raised questions about the resilience of the health system's power system.

Health doesn't have an off-grid backup power system like smaller airways, which has proved a major weakness. Industry experts and air travellers have raised criticism about how such a global hub can be so dependent on a single external power source. More than 1,350 flights have been affected, with British Airways cancelling all of its short-haul flights for Friday.

Financial flaws: Loss of crores

The estimated cost of the closure of London Heath Airport could range from £180 million to £370 million ($230M–$475M USD). Along with the airline, local businesses, tourism, and global supply chains are also affected. 677 British Airways flights and 62 Virgin Atlantic services are affected.

According to Post on X, HeatHour is losing $26 million per day, and this figure does not include other ripple effects. Different routes, different flights and logistical problems are making the situation worse. As one X user wrote, "Cost of HeatHour closure: $26 million per day

! Serious hit on British Airways budget."