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Heathrow Airport faced a major crisis in March when a fire at a nearby electrical substation led to the cancellation of 1,300 flights and disrupted travel for 270,000 passengers. Despite the chaos, Heathrow’s boss, Thomas Woldbye, admitted that he slept through numerous emergency phone calls during the incident. Speaking on the BBC’s Today program, Woldbye called it a “frustrating” situation and acknowledged that it was not his typical way of handling things, although he believed the right procedures were followed on an operational level.
The power outage resulting from the fire was estimated to cost “millions,” though a specific figure was not disclosed by Mr. Woldbye. The aftermath of the incident saw Heathrow’s pre-tax profit fall by 37.2% to £203m in the first half of 2025. A review conducted by former Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly found that Woldbye missed vital notifications and calls due to his mobile phone being on silent mode at the time of the emergency.
Despite the challenges faced during the crisis, Heathrow’s emergency response procedures were commended by Woldbye. The investigation into the fire determined that it was caused by a known fault at the substation, which had been neglected by the owner, National Grid, since 2018. Heathrow considered taking legal action against National Grid following the release of the report by the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO). The airport revealed that it was considering holding National Grid accountable for the shortcomings that resulted in losses for both Heathrow and the airlines operating at the airport.
Heathrow Airport, akin to a small city in terms of electricity consumption, has three connections to the grid. The impact of the fire and subsequent outage was reflected in Heathrow’s financial results, which showed a 1.9% increase in revenues to £1.7bn. The airport made it clear that it expected National Grid to take responsibility for the failings identified in the investigation and address the issues that led to the disruption and financial losses experienced by Heathrow and the airlines
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