Heathrow Closure to Impact Air Mauritius Flights; Reopening Expected in 8 Days

The sudden and complete shutdown of Heathrow Airport in England on Friday, 21st March, has sent shockwaves through the travel industry. This drastic measure, triggered by a significant power outage caused by a nearby fire, may have ramifications for some flights operated by Air Mauritius, despite the national airline primarily landing at Gatwick.

As operations at Heathrow are diverted to Gatwick and other London airports, the risk of congestion is alarmingly high.

The closure of London’s largest airport has resulted in a massive disruption of air traffic, exacerbating an already challenging situation.

Air Mauritius’s communications manager, Joël Toussaint, reassured us that “for the moment, our flights are not affected.”

However, the anticipated influx of additional traffic at Gatwick makes the future of the airline’s schedule uncertain.

Furthermore, Toussaint indicated that several flights have already been rescheduled due to a recommended maintenance check on one of the Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

As a result, numerous regular flights are set to face disruptions between 24th March and 6th April 2025.

In total, around two dozen flights are involved, with some cancellations and others experiencing delays of up to several hours, depending on their destinations.

A comprehensive schedule is available on the airline’s website and via their mobile app.

How Long Until Heathrow Reopens?

Experts predicted that the reopening of Heathrow, which has been closed since Friday 21 March due to the aforementioned electrical failure linked to the fire — since extinguished — will take several days and potentially cost millions, even tens of millions of pounds.

The complexity of such a recovery operation cannot be overstated.

Once the airport does reopen, a swift return to normalcy is unlikely.

The immediate priority will involve routing passengers from the cancelled flights and rearranging the schedules for affected aircraft.

“Passengers, crew, freight, and aircraft will not be where they should be, according to the programmes, and it will take time to address the backlog,” explained Anita Mendiratta, a tourism and aviation expert who advised the UN agency for tourism.

She estimated that it could take “between two and four days” to achieve a semblance of normality, while aviation consultant Philip Butterworth-Hayes suggested it may extend to “seven or eight days.”

In light of this incident, experts project that the financial toll on airlines and Heathrow itself could be staggering. Butterworth-Hayes estimated the losses which could easily exceed £50 million.

Source: Defi Media