Thousands of passengers at Heathrow Airport faced significant delays and disruption on Wednesday after a fire alarm triggered the evacuation of Terminal 3. The alarm sounded at around 12.30pm, forcing travellers to leave the building and those who had passed through security to gather on the apron.
Thirty-five minutes later, Heathrow confirmed there was no fire and began directing passengers back inside. However, many flights were delayed, with some passengers reporting a lack of information from staff. Philip Baum, editor of Aviation Security International, described the incident management as 'not impressive' and noted that no announcements were made beyond automated messages.
Passengers took to social media to express frustration. Giuseppe Sollazzo tweeted that the evacuation proved Terminal 3 'cannot be safely evacuated', while Rob Platt said people were left standing with no guidance. However, Dominic Rushe praised the handling as 'smoothly handled' and noted that passengers remained calm.
The cause of the alarm remains unclear, though one passenger reported the pilot mentioned a 'bomb scare'. Dozens of flights were delayed, including British Airways services to Las Vegas and Miami, and Virgin Atlantic's flight to San Francisco. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said the terminal was returning to normal but warned of further knock-on delays.
