Wildlife forced London Heathrow to halt landings on the North runway of the Airport.
London, July 17, 2025 — Flight operations on Runway 27R at London Heathrow Airport were briefly suspended yesterday after an unexpected visitor—a fox—was spotted roaming the active runway.
Operations were paused for safety reasons after air traffic control observed the animal on the tarmac during routine departure and arrival sequencing. The incident occurred around 12 PM, prompting immediate coordination between airside operations and wildlife control teams.
At least 5 inbound flights were instructed to go around, and more to hold during the approximately 15-minute suspension, while the fox was safely cleared from the area. Runway 27R, one of Heathrow’s two main runways, resumed full operations shortly afterward.
While unusual, wildlife intrusions at airports are not unheard of. Heathrow, like many major international airports, maintains a dedicated wildlife management team to monitor and respond to such events to mitigate any risk to aircraft operations.
