Thomas Woldbye faces MPs after Heathrow shutdown triggers outrage

In the United Kingdom, particularly impacting Heathrow Airport, a major power failure occurred due to a fire in an electrical substation on March 21, affecting travel for approximately a quarter of a million passengers. The incident led to the cancellation or diversion of over 1,400 flights, resulting in significant financial losses estimated at £100 million for airlines and other related businesses. Much of the stress was attributed to British Airways, which was particularly badly affected, accounting for more than half of the cancellations. The transport committee emphasized the emotional distress endured by passengers as they missed critical family events. Heathrow Airline Operators' Committee chief executive Nigel Wicking alerted airport management about concerns regarding the resilience of the power supply less than a week before the incident, particularly in light of prior cable theft incidents that had hindered runway lighting. He noted that Terminal 5 had been ready to resume some flight operations by the morning of the closure, indicating a failure in communication regarding the airport's operational capacity. However, despite Wicking's warnings and the potential for some operations to resume, Heathrow's management opted for closure, citing safety concerns. During the hearing, Heathrow's chief executive Thomas Woldbye defended the decision, asserting that it would have been disastrous to keep the airport open under uncertain safety conditions. He contended that the command and control systems functioned as intended throughout the crisis but acknowledged that a complete restoration of essential systems takes about ten hours in cases of power outages. A review of the airport's resilience was conducted in 2018 but was not shared with airline operators, leading Wicking to argue that more transparency and preparedness should have been in place to handle such crises. The repercussions of the shutdown extend beyond immediate financial losses to airlines and their customers, potentially affecting the wider UK economy in terms of tourism and national reputation. Despite the chaos caused by the shutdown, Woldbye indicated a willingness to discuss compensation arrangements with the airlines, should the complete details of the situation come to light.