London Heathrow has grounded all flights after its power was wiped out by a huge fire at a substation in West London, leaving Tartan Army fans stranded in Greece
Tartan Army supporters could be left stranded in Greece following a fire at a substation that disrupted power supply to Heathrow Airport, resulting in the cancellation of most flights.
All flights were grounded at London Heathrow after a massive fire at a West London substation knocked out its power. Scottish fans are currently planning their return journey after another memorable night on the continent, celebrating a historic 1-0 victory in Athens by Steve Clarke’s team at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis last night.
Approximately 2,000 national team supporters travelled to the Greek capital for the match in Piraeus, Athens’s port city. However, fans who booked return flights via Heathrow have been hit with a major setback. Athens International Airport is currently reporting that at least four scheduled departures from Greece have been cancelled due to widespread disruption, reports the Daily Record.
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The early 7.45am British Airways flight from Athens was among those cancelled. The 1.25pm Aegean Airlines flight and a British Airways flight scheduled to depart five minutes later (1.30pm) have also been cancelled. An Aegean Airlines service scheduled for 4pm has been cancelled as well. However, flights set to depart at 7pm and 7.35pm have not yet been affected.
The knock-on impact of the fires mean that they face missing the second-leg Hampden showdown on Sunday.
Heathrow Airport officials were optimistic that operations would resume by 11.59pm after a massive power outage brought the airport to a standstill. The suspected cause, a fire at the North Hyde Electricity Substation in Hayes, West London, is expected to impact at least 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow. At the time of the unexpected shutdown, 120 flights were airborne.
A Heathrow spokesperson explained: “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.”
An update will be provided when more information on resuming operations becomes available. The airport acknowledged the disappointment this would cause passengers and assured that they are working diligently to resolve the situation.
Earlier, Edinburgh Airport posted on X: “Due to ongoing fire near Heathrow Airport, British Airways passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact the airline for further information.”
This disruption comes after an eventful trip for the Tartan Army, who received emergency alerts in Athens due to a fire in the Tavros area of the city. Supporters enjoying themselves in Piraeus received a stark warning to “stay indoors” after the Greek Government sent out emergency alerts to their mobile phones. Fortunately, emergency crews managed to get a handle on the blaze that erupted in a yard.
Hamish Husband, a spokesperson for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, shared his experience with the Record: “We were sitting having lunch and there were two alerts. The first one flashed up and the second was one 10 minutes later.”
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He expressed his surprise, noting that many hadn’t encountered such alerts since Storm Eowyn, with some initially mistaking it for a weather warning from back home. “The waiter in the restaurant says it happens all the time here but we’re right in the centre of Piraeus and we’ve not seen anything. Athens is a huge city.”
Husband reflected on the local response to wildfires, saying: “I think they have had to deal with a lot of bad wildfires so it just shows how seriously they take things over here. But everyone is enjoying themselves and the wonderful Greek hospitality. It’s a fantastic city.”
