‘Blissful’: Heathrow airport standstill brings rare silence to nearby villages

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Chirping birds and unbroken skies come as standard in many English villages, though not in Harmondsworth – which lies under Heathrow’s flight path. But Friday was different.

“It’s been peace and tranquillity,” said 72-year-old Andrew Melville, who has lived in the village, which straddles the border of London and Berkshire, for 49 years. “Especially not being woken up by transatlantic flights in the early morning.”

The travel hub, which is one of the busiest in the world, came to a standstill on Friday morning after a fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, west London. More than 1,300 flights have been grounded and counter-terrorism police have launched an investigation into the cause of the blaze.

The airport’s closure has caused travel misery for many but those living nearby have been given rare respite from the roaring planes that shatter the illusion of village life.

“Usually we get an early morning call and a late-night goodnight,” said Melville, describing the unsociable times that massive, long-haul jets land and take off. “Days like today are blissful because we can go about our normal lives.”

The last time people in the village saw the skies this clear was during the Covid lockdowns. “They were awful but this village was great back then. People running around, cycling on bikes and listening to the birds. You could even hear yourself think,” said Melville.

David Page, 71, who lives in the nearby village of Longford, has also noticed a change. “It has gotten rid of all the hire cars that park at the top of the village,” he said. While he is enjoying the peace and quiet, Page said people who choose to live in the village should expect some noise. “You don’t move to Longford for peace. You move here because you’re working just over there,” he said, pointing towards the airport.

Page, who does contract work for Heathrow, is used to the whirring planes. “You get to the stage where you tune a lot of noise out. It’s not that bad,” he said. “It’s not as busy as people make out. There are quiet patches.”

Large chunks of both Harmondsworth and Longford could be demolished to make way for the airport’s expansion, including the construction of a contentious third runway. “Living here is a strange thing,” said Page. “It probably won’t be here in the future, everything’s gonna go.”

As Heathrow fell silent, travellers who booked hotels in the area found themselves stranded in the outskirts of west London. Some trekked down long, barren side roads, stumbling into the nearby villages.

Tourists wheeling suitcases could be seen walking up and down a strip across from the airport lined with hotels and fast food drive-throughs. Hotel lobbies heaved with disappointed travellers figuring out their next steps.

“I should be flying to Canada right now,” said David Lloyd, 72. He was due to travel to Halifax in Nova Scotia to celebrate his brother’s 80th birthday. “He didn’t know we were going. We were going out to surprise him.”

Lloyd will not be seeing his brother as planned. “We’ve had to cancel the holiday,” he said. “It’s pointless – by the time we’d get there, the party would be over and done with.”

“We’re devastated,” said his wife, Linda Lloyd, 73. The Shropshire couple said they could lose out on about £5,000 when all is said and done.

Katy Moss also had plans to see loved ones. “I should be on a flight to Nassau in the Bahamas to see my family,” said the 42-year-old CEO of a concrete company. “It sounds glamorous but my daughter’s there and I haven’t seen her for four weeks. It’s a bit emotional. I rang my husband and woke him up in the middle of the night. I haven’t heard from my daughter yet but she’s going to be devastated.”

Five minutes after arriving in her hotel room on Thursday night, the lights in her room went out. “I thought I was being silly and didn’t put my keycard in the reader properly,” said Moss. “Then I realised there was no power and looked out the window. There was a huge fire.”

Like the Lloyds, Moss may have to cancel her trip. “They’ve just messaged me to say they can put me on a flight on Sunday but I’m flying out of the Bahamas on Monday. It would only be 12 hours with my family. I’m thinking what’s the point.”