BUSINESS NEWS


Heathrow: more than 1,300 flights were cancelled due to loss of power at the airport on March 21


Review of Heathrow fire backs airport’s decisions


Kelly Review concludes most flight cancellations were unavoidable. By Ian Taylor


The Kelly Review commissioned by Heathrow into how a fire at a local electricity substation led to the day-long closure of the airport on March 21 vindicated the airport’s decision-making when published last week. Media reports made much of the


fact that Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye was asleep with his phone on silent on the night of the fire, with power to much of the airport cut. His deputy Javier Echave took the decision to shut the airport at 1.15am


56 5 JUNE 2025


on March 21, less than two hours after the fire began, and that it should remain closed until 11.59pm, causing 1,300-plus flights to be cancelled. Media and airline criticism may yet


make Woldbye’s position difficult, but the Kelly Review found his absence had “no impact” on the decision. Former transport secretary Ruth


Kelly, a non-executive director of Heathrow, concluded that closing the airport was “essential to protect safety and security” and “the only reasonable decision available”, and that to stop


operations until 11.59pm “was also reasonable” and “prudent”. In the event, power had been


restored and critical systems tested in Terminals 3 and 5 by 1pm and in Terminal 4 by 5pm, with only Terminal 2 not in operation till the following day. That allowed Heathrow to open for repositioning aircraft at 4pm, for repatriation flights at 6pm, and for a small number of departures


Continued on page 54 travelweekly.co.uk


BUSINESSNEWS


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Fasttailwind


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60