Alex Armstrong said his flight from London Heathrow Airport was diverted to Manchester after a grass fire closed runway 27L just before 6pm. Heathrow later said both runways were operational again, after departures had been suspended for a period.
The GB News star said on Facebook: "Fire at Heathrow Airport so I'm being diverted to Manchester." He also wrote: "Sadly I won't make it to the Essex show tonight, but hope you all enjoyed the coverage of our lovely members in Aberdeen today!"
Heathrow Runways on 27L
Heathrow Runways posted just before 6pm: "Due to a grass area fire 27L has had to be temporarily closed and therefore we will be 27R single runway operations until further notice." That left traffic using one runway while crews dealt with the fire next to the southern runway.
Almost an hour later, Heathrow Runways said: "We are now expecting to get runway 27L back at 18:45hrs." It also added: "We'll be departing on the southern runway 27L and arriving on runway 27R. Sorry for the inconvenience."
Heathrow Airport disruption
Heathrow said in a later statement: "Earlier our teams responded to a small grass fire adjacent to the southern runway." The spokesman added: "The fire has been extinguished, both runways are operational and flights continue to arrive and depart from the airport."
Heathrow also said: "We apologise for any disruption caused as a result or while emergency services completed their safety checks but this was essential to ensure the safety of our passengers and colleagues, which is paramount." It is understood 18 flights were diverted because of the grass fire, and another person on social media said that pretty much all flights were delayed.
For passengers already at the airport, the practical effect was simple: services were shifted onto 27R while 27L was closed, then restored after the fire was put out and checks were completed. A separate report on storms delaying London Heathrow Airport flights by up to 11 hours shows how quickly disruptions at the airport can spread across the day once operations are reduced to one runway.
The unresolved point is the fire itself: Heathrow described it as a grass fire next to the southern runway, but gave no reason for how it started. Until that is known, the operational takeaway is the one that matters most for anyone flying through Heathrow — one closed runway can force diversions, delay departures and push the airport onto a single-runway pattern within minutes.
