Heathrow Airport fire: Are flights delayed after fire shuts down London airport - is Manchester Airport open?

Thousands of passengers have been left without flights after Heathrow Airport said that it was set to be closed for a full day on Friday, March 21. There will be no departing or incoming flights at the London airport as a result.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation. Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.

“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025. We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens."

The situation has left travellers across the country understandably anxious about the impact this could have on their plans. If you are travelling to or from Manchester Airport today, here’s everything you need to know.

Is Manchester Airport closed today?

Manchester Airport is open as normal with no impact on the airport opening hours from the fire in London. Flights will be able to depart and arrival at the travel hub as normal also.

Are flight at Manchester Airport delayed?

At the time of writing, flights are mostly on schedule for departures at Manchester Airport, according to the airport’s departure list online. This is excluding all flights bound for London Heathrow, which are not operating due to the closure of Heathrow.

For up-to-date information on your scheduled flight, visit the departures list on Manchester Airport’s website.

Have flights been diverted to Manchester Airport?

Five early morning flights that had been due to land at Heathrow Airport were diverted to Manchester Airport earlier today. These flights were already in-flight when the announcement that Heathrow Airport would be shut was made.

The flights were:

• British Airways BA64 from Nairobi (due to arrive at 5.55am)
• British Airways BA112 from New York (due to arrive at 6.30am)
• British Airways BA66 from Philadelphia (due to arrive at 6.35am)
• British Airways BA176 from New York (due to arrive at 7.10am)
• Emirates EK7 from Dubai (due to arrive at 7.10am)

There are not expected to be any other Heathrow-bound flights diverted to Manchester Airport for the rest of the day.