In the wake of a significant power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation, Heathrow Airport’s CEO, Thomas Woldbye, defended the airport’s handling of the situation which led to substantial disruption across Europe’s busiest airport. The incident, which occurred on Friday, resulted in the cancellation of over 1,000 flights and affected tens of thousands of travelers.
Investigation launched into power outage
Following the chaos, U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced on Saturday that the National Energy System Operator will conduct an investigation into the incident. The airport has faced intense criticism, particularly from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which described the disruption as a result of a “clear planning failure” on the part of Heathrow management.
“I’m proud of what the people did to get us out of the situation,” Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye told the BBC on Saturday.
Woldbye emphasized that the fire originated outside the airport premises, necessitating a response to the resulting consequences. He noted, “I don’t know an airport that has back-up supply that can switch on in minutes to the magnitude of what we experienced yesterday. The same would happen in other airports.” He expressed his hope that the investigation will “help strengthen the airport’s future resilience” and confirmed Heathrow’s commitment to collaborating with all stakeholders for a comprehensive inquiry.
Calls for accountability and future measures
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander underscored the urgency of understanding the power failure, stating, “it’s imperative we identify how this power failure happened and learn from this to ensure a vital piece of national infrastructure remains strong.”
The fire, which broke out at a nearby electric station, brought operations at Heathrow to a standstill. Although the airport began to return to normal on Saturday, reports indicated that travelers were still experiencing significant delays and cancellations.
IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, criticized the airport’s dependency on a single power source, questioning how such a critical infrastructure could lack alternatives. Former Government Communication Headquarters head David Omand expressed surprise at the prolonged closure, labeling it a “national embarrassment” and suggesting that while some disruption might be expected, a complete shutdown for an entire day was unacceptable.
When asked by the BBC about his position as CEO, Woldbye responded that he would leave it to others to determine if his leadership should be questioned in light of the recent events.