In a recent statement, Heathrow Airport's chief executive has defended the airport's handling of a significant power outage that led to widespread travel chaos. The incident, described as “unprecedented,” left thousands of passengers stranded and disrupted global travel. The shutdown occurred last Friday due to a massive fire in an electrical substation located in a nearby London suburb, resulting in a blackout that impacted both the airport and thousands of homes.
This unexpected shutdown could potentially affect around 150,000 passengers and may result in damages amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars for the aviation industry. The incident has raised serious questions regarding Heathrow's reliance on a single power source, a concern highlighted by industry experts and travelers alike. Despite the chaos, Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow's chief executive, expressed pride in the airport's response to the crisis, indicating that such situations, while challenging, are not uncommon in the aviation sector.
According to Woldbye, as hundreds of planes approached Heathrow when the substation failed, the airport's backup power system was swiftly activated. “All our backup systems were up and running. Our tower was operational, and our runways were functioning as they should,” he stated during an interview with BBC Radio 4. He emphasized that while safety systems allowed for the movement of aircraft, most airport infrastructure came to a halt as they needed to reset following the outage.
Woldbye further elaborated that Heathrow utilizes as much energy as a city on a daily basis, which means there is no comprehensive backup power for all airport systems such as fuel systems and air bridges. He noted, “I don’t know of an airport that has that,” indicating that maintaining a separate, large-scale power plant on standby is not a standard practice in the industry.
While Woldbye expressed that Heathrow was “sincerely sorry” for the disruptions experienced by passengers, he acknowledged that the airport is now “operating as normal.” However, he cautioned that it would take time for airlines to clear their backlogs, with many flights and cabin crews having been redirected to alternate airports, complicating deployment logistics. Airlines have already warned passengers of potential delays in the coming days as they work to manage the fallout from the incident.
As of Saturday morning, British utility company National Grid reported that power had been restored to all customers connected to the affected substation. The fire in the London suburb of Hayes had previously left over 16,000 homes without power and prompted the evacuation of approximately 150 individuals. Currently, London’s counterterrorism police are investigating the cause of the fire, with energy secretary Ed Miliband stating there is “no suggestion of foul play,” although authorities are maintaining an “open mind” regarding the investigation.
Heathrow Airport, which ranked as the world’s fourth-busiest airport in 2023, served a staggering quarter of a million passengers each day. Last year, it recorded a historic number of 83.9 million travelers. Earlier this year, the UK government supported plans to expand Heathrow by constructing a third runway, a proposal that has faced opposition from environmentalists and local activists due to potential disruptions in the surrounding area.
The addition of a third runway could increase the number of flights from the current cap of 480,000 annually to 720,000. When questioned about this expansion and passenger trust in Heathrow's operations, Woldbye expressed confidence that the airport can build a “resilient” third runway. He firmly denied any claims of complacency regarding the airport's readiness for major incidents similar to Friday’s outage.
