Heathrow Airport had been warned about the resilience of its power supply just days before a fire at an electrical substation led to a shutdown that disrupted travel for more than 300,000 passengers last month.
Nigel Wicking, Chief Executive of the Heathrow Airline Operators’ Committee, told MPs on Wednesday that he had raised concerns about the airport’s power infrastructure in meetings with Heathrow management on March 15 and March 19—just days before the March 21 incident.
Despite these warnings, Heathrow’s CEO, Thomas Woldbye, defended the airport’s response, calling the fire an “unlikely event” and insisting that the lengthy closure was necessary to ensure passenger safety.
Warnings Ignored?
During a parliamentary transport committee session, Wicking revealed that issues such as the theft of cables had temporarily knocked out crucial runway lights. He had sought reassurances about the airport’s power resilience but felt his concerns were not adequately addressed.
Heathrow is dependent on contracts with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) for its power supply, and improving its resilience would come at a significant cost, Woldbye admitted. However, Wicking pushed back, arguing that Heathrow is already the most expensive airport in the world and should prioritize reliability.
The fire forced airlines to divert 120 aircraft, while others had to return to their home bases as far away as India due to lack of available space in the UK. A total of 1,300 flights were canceled before operations resumed on Saturday, March 23.
Was the Shutdown Too Long?
While Woldbye insisted that reopening sooner could have compromised passenger safety, Wicking questioned why Terminal 5, which was reportedly operational by 10 a.m. on the day of the fire, was not reopened earlier.
“If we had got this wrong, we might be sitting here today having a very different discussion about why people got injured,” Woldbye told MPs, emphasizing the need for rigorous safety checks before resuming operations.
Critical Infrastructure Failure
Woldbye explained that after the substation fire started on Thursday night, Heathrow realized in the early hours of Friday that it was losing power. Operations staff saw multiple systems shutting down without an immediate explanation.
Despite being supplied by three substations, the loss of one was enough to severely disrupt the airport’s central operations, particularly impacting Terminal 2 and other essential systems.
Runway lighting and the control tower continued functioning as expected, but the airport prioritized safety by shutting down other systems before gradually bringing them back online.
Future Expansion and Power Needs
The disruption has raised broader concerns about Heathrow’s infrastructure, particularly as the UK government backs plans for a third runway to boost economic growth. Woldbye acknowledged that such an expansion would require the airport to double its power supply.
However, Wicking warned that airlines, while supportive of expansion, were concerned about the project’s estimated £40-60 billion cost, which could ultimately be passed on to passengers. He cautioned that without proper planning, Heathrow’s expansion could become a “white elephant.”
As Heathrow works to restore confidence after the shutdown, questions remain about whether more could have been done to prevent the disruption and how future incidents can be avoided.
