Wed, 28 May 2025

Wed, 28 May 2025 Heathrow chief asleep as airport closed - report

Findings from a review commissioned by Heathrow management into March's power cut are published.

* Heathrow's CEO, Thomas Woldbye, was asleep and had his phone on silent when the airport was closed due to a power outage caused by a fire at a nearby substation.
* The closure affected 270,000 journeys and lasted for around 7 hours.
* An inquiry led by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly found that Woldbye was not involved in the decision to suspend operations, but had been alerted to the incident several hours later.
* The report recommended that Heathrow considers having a "second means of contact" to notify key individuals about critical incidents.
* Despite the disruption, the report concluded that the airport's response was efficient and smooth, and that the decision to stop operations immediately was necessary for safety and security reasons.
* The review also found that contingency plans in place worked well overall, but Heathrow had underestimated the risk of a power outage from the substation.
* Critics have accused Heathrow's management of being complacent about the airport's vulnerability and not doing enough to anticipate the consequences of the power outage.
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