KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that several of its flights have been affected following the major power outage at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) on Friday, which forced the airport to shut down for the entire day.
The disruption, caused by a fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, west London, led to widespread flight cancellations and diversions. As a result, Malaysia Airlines flight MH2, which departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 11.37pm on March 20, was diverted to Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport (AMS).
In a statement, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) said that the pilot in command made the decision to divert in the interest of safety, ensuring that the issue was rectified before proceeding to London. The aircraft, carrying 246 passengers and 17 crew, landed safely in Amsterdam at 6.19am local time. Passengers were accommodated in nearby hotels, with some being transferred onto other flights.
Additionally, flight MH4, carrying 187 passengers and 17 crew, has been rerouted back to Kuala Lumpur and is expected to arrive at KLIA at 3.30pm local time today.
Other Malaysia Airlines flights affected by the Heathrow shutdown include MH1 and MH3, both scheduled for March 21 departures from London to Kuala Lumpur, which previously was marked to be “on time” on the airport’s website.
“Safety remains the number one priority to Malaysia Airlines,” the company said, expressing regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers.
The Heathrow power outage has caused significant disruption to global air travel, with hundreds of flights affected. According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, at the time of the closure announcement, around 120 flights were en route to Heathrow, many of which had to be diverted or returned to their departure locations.
The fire at the electrical substation broke out late Thursday night (London time), affecting Heathrow’s power supply and leaving parts of the airport in darkness. Authorities evacuated approximately 150 people from nearby properties as a precaution, while emergency crews worked to contain the blaze.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) confirmed that more than 16,000 homes in the Hayes and Hounslow areas experienced power outages. – March 21, 2025