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Heathrow chief Thomas Woldbye was proud of airport’s response


Heathrow planning in focus after shutdown


ANALYSIS:ANAL SIS: Ian Taylor assesses the timeline and reaction after hub closure However, National Grid chief


Iata director-general Willie Walsh led widespread criticism of Heathrow after the airport shut down last Friday due to a fire at an electricity substation, cancelling more than 1,300 flights. Walsh suggested there had been


“a clear planning failure by the airport”, asking: “How is critical infrastructure totally dependent on a single power source?” Heathrow receives power from


three substations and has emergency generators to provide runway lighting. The reason for the closure was due to the time it would take to switch and


48 27 MARCH 2025


restart multiple systems, with access to Heathrow by road, rail and London Underground shut off to prevent passengers overcrowding the airport. The blaze, which began at the


nearby North Hyde substation after 11pm on Thursday, ignited 25,000 litres of cooling fluid, burning through the night and into Friday. Heathrow bosses decided to close the airport in the early hours. Chief executive Thomas Woldbye


said he was proud of the response, noting: “The situation was created outside the airport. We had to deal with the consequences.”


executive John Pettigrew insisted the network was capable of supplying power to Heathrow during the shutdown because the two other substations were unaffected, noting: “Each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow.” That led to accusations Woldbye


was trying to deflect the blame. However, an airport spokesperson


insisted: “It would not have been possible for Heathrow to operate


Continued on page 46 travelweekly.co.uk


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