dailynewsnblog
Flooding at 
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has closed the roads serving Terminals 2 and 3, home to the majority of the airport’s US carrier operations, including 
United Airlines, 
American Airlines and 
Delta Air Lines. The water is believed to have come from a burst main, blocking access to the two terminals by road.
The disruption comes during one of the busiest weekends of the summer, and in the middle of the school summer holidays. Heathrow suffered a water leak earlier this week, closing off a tunnel and impacting key rail links to the airport.
Burst Main Causes Significant Flooding At London Heathrow
The flooding stems from a burst main beneath Inner Ring Road West, causing disruption to LHR’s central terminal area, which includes Terminals 2 and 3. Between them, the two terminals account for the bulk of Heathrow’s US carrier operations. Terminal 2 is the home of United, while American and Delta both operate from Terminal 3 alongside the likes of Virgin Atlantic and Emirates.
At this stage, the flooding is not reported to have reached inside either airport terminal, and no flight operations have been directly impacted. However, it is disrupting road access to both terminals, impacting passengers and staff arriving and departing the two terminals. In an advisory on Saturday morning, Heathrow said that passengers traveling to or from either terminal “must not travel by road,” instead advising the Heathrow Express, Elizabeth Line and Piccadilly Line rail networks.
An airport spokesperson commented:
“Our teams are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. We apologise for any disruption caused. The leak has been isolated and repairs are ongoing.”
Which Airlines Fly Out Of Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3?
Besides the three major US carriers, a host of other prominent international airlines fly from Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3. Terminal 2 — also known as the Queen’s Terminal — is the main home of 
Star Alliance carriers and handles a mix of short-haul European flights and long-haul international routes, while Terminal 3 is heavily used by long-haul international carriers, including several oneworld airlines, such as American and Alaska Airlines.
Terminal | Airlines |
|---|---|
Terminal 2 | Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, Eurowings, Icelandair, ITA Airways, JetBlue, Loganair, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines |
Terminal 3 | Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic |
The central terminal area is home to Terminals 2 and 3 along with a number of other airport buildings, including offices, service facilities and the Heathrow Central bus station. These are all connected by a network of internal roads, including the Inner Ring Road West beneath which Saturday’s main burst.
Besides road access, passengers have other options, the most convenient of which are by rail. This includes the Heathrow Express, Elizabeth Line and Piccadilly Line from central London. Heathrow also has Park and Ride facilities, or passengers can go by road to Terminals 4 and 5 and use the free inter-terminal shuttle.
Peak Summer Weekend Disruption
The flooding occurred during one of the peak periods in Heathrow’s summer season. The second half of August is typically one of the busiest fortnights, occurring towards the tail-end of the school holidays. Heathrow oversaw its busiest day of the year last month with around 267,000 passengers processed on July 19, and more than 7.85 million for the entirety of July.
The airport is the busiest in the UK, handling a record 84.5 million passengers in 2025. It has also welcomed multiple new or returning international airlines this year, including Alaska Airlines, ITA Airways, and Riyadh Air. Alaska, which flies to Heathrow’s Terminal 3, began its first-ever London service in May with the launch of a daily flight from Seattle (SEA).
