Brief by Shorts91NewsDesk / 10:32am on 21 Mar 2025,Friday International
Heathrow Airport, a pivotal global travel hub, experienced a significant disruption on March 21, 2025, due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, leading to a complete closure and widespread flight cancellations. Serving over 230 destinations across nearly 90 countries, Heathrow operates at 99% capacity, with 90 airlines based there, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Lufthansa. In February 2025, the airport handled 5.7 million passengers, marking its busiest February on record, and totaling 84.1 million passengers from March 2024 to February 2025. To alleviate capacity constraints, plans for a third runway are underway, with a proposal submission expected this summer, following government support citing potential boosts to trade and economic growth. Heathrow's current infrastructure includes two main runways and five terminals, with Terminal 5 being the most recent addition, opened in 2008. The airport is also the UK's largest single-site employer, with over 90,000 staff members.
