A grassfire that broke out near Heathrow Airport on Wednesday evening forced the temporary closure of one of its two runways, causing delays and sending at least 18 inbound flights to alternative airports.
London Fire Brigade crews were called to the blaze near the southern runway — identified as the threshold of runway 09R/27L — at around 5.30pm, and had it under control by 6.07pm. Heathrow was forced onto single-runway operations while the fire was tackled and the surrounding grass area soaked to make it safe. Departures were paused during the disruption as air traffic control imposed a reduced flow rate, with some aircraft held in holding patterns while they waited to land.
Five diverted flights were sent to Stansted, five to Gatwick, three to Manchester, and one each to Birmingham, Luton, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Cairo and Billund. Heathrow confirmed later that evening that both runways were fully operational again and apologised for any disruption caused.
It’s a reminder of just how sensitive Britain’s busiest airport is to even a small, localised incident — Heathrow was shut completely for around 18 hours back in March 2025 after a fire at a nearby electrical substation, disrupting more than 1,300 flights and roughly 200,000 passengers, so Wednesday’s disruption, while contained far more quickly, will do little to ease pressure on an airport already under scrutiny over its resilience planning.
For airport transfer operators and drivers working Heathrow pickups and drop-offs, incidents like this are worth watching closely — diversions and holding patterns can throw off pickup times even once the runway itself is back in action, so it’s worth building in some slack and checking live flight status before heading out.
For airport transfers in the Heathrow area, DM Airport Transfers covers the region.
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