Heathrow Airport Flooding Cuts Road Access to Terminals 2 and 3

Heathrow Airport warned travellers on Saturday morning that road access to both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 is restricted due to flooding caused by a burst water pipe within the airport grounds. Anyone travelling to or from those terminals by car or taxi is unable to reach them by road.

Passengers Told to Use Rail and Tube

Airport officials urged passengers to travel to Heathrow by rail or Underground instead, and to avoid cars entirely until the situation is resolved. An airport spokesperson stated: "Our teams are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, we apologise for any disruption caused." They confirmed the leak had been isolated and repair works were ongoing.

Disruption During Peak Summer Holiday Period

The incident comes at a particularly inconvenient time: the school summer holidays, one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Heathrow recorded its busiest single day of 2026 on 19 July, when 267,000 passengers passed through its terminals as schools broke up for summer.

This is not the first infrastructure problem to hit Heathrow in recent weeks. Railway services serving the airport were also disrupted by a separate water leak that prompted the closure of a tunnel, adding to the operational challenges faced by the UK's largest airport.

Background

Heathrow handles tens of millions of passengers each year and serves as the main international hub for the United Kingdom. Flooding and water damage events have in the past led to significant knock-on delays and cancellations. Passengers are advised to monitor official Heathrow communications for updates on when normal road access will resume.