Heathrow Airport fire: Ryanair offers 'rescue flights' for affected passengers - where are they going and how much do tickets cost?

A substation fire in Hayes last night (March 20) wiped out power at the London airport, meaning all flights to and from Heathrow today have been cancelled. The airport has been closed for today, leaving some passengers stranded.

Now, for those affected by Heathrow’s closure, Ryanair has listed a number of “rescue flights” to get passengers back on track for their travels. Over the course of the next two days (March 21 and 22) eight flights to and from Stansted and Dublin will re-divert stranded passengers.

In a statement on X, a Ryanair spokesperson said: “Ryanair, Europe’s number one airline, today added up to eight rescue flights between Dublin and London Stansted, four on Friday and four on Saturday to rescue passengers affected by today’s Heathrow closure. Ryanair will operate four extra flights between Dublin and Stansted on Friday afternoon as well as four extra flights on Saturday morning.”

According to the Ryanair website, tickets for the “rescue flights” will cost passengers £76, although passengers some have taken screenshots of flights costing them £290 per person. This has drawn some criticism from people on social media, who have accused the firm of “profiteering” through the incident.

One user, @nomadandinlove, said: “I hope tickets are reasonably priced and this isn't a money making opportunity.” After being told by others about the costs, they added: “I wouldn't put it past them to charge four figures.”

Another person on X, @JDane241476, said: “Never let a good disaster go to waste.”

Meanwhile, @kestrel89B commented: “Hardly worth it Ryanair. No doubt you'd be coining it in too.”