Heathrow Airport’s new Chief Executive, Thomas Woldbye, welcomed the news that the UK had missed the mark. He is the one who was arguably AWOL during a searing operational meltdown earlier this spring. An unrelated fire at a nearby electrical substation caused the airport to close down on March 21. In all, this IT disruption impacted 270,000 passengers and led to the cancellation of about 1,300 flights.
When the fire broke out in the wee hours of the morning, it demanded an instant emergency response. In the shocking testimony, Woldbye admitted he slept through multiple emergency phone calls explaining the dire emergency situation. He only became aware of the incident around 6:45 AM, long after the fire had caused extensive operational disruptions.
Woldbye recognized the incident would have a major financial impact, saying it would cost “millions.” He declined to provide an estimate of the airport’s total losses from this incident. His omission raises more questions than it answers. The investigation into the fire determined its cause. A heretofore recessive fault at the electrical substation that fed the vitally concentrated-seat airport was to blame.
In reflecting on his response to the incident, Woldbye remarked, “It’s not how I normally operate but on an operational level all the right things happened.” He emphasized that despite his absence during this critical time, the team at Heathrow made appropriate decisions to manage the crisis effectively.
He further commented on the importance of organizational resilience, stating, “Of course, an organisation like ours has to be able to manage whether the captain’s on the bridge or not and in this particular case we took the right decisions.” This announcement further highlights the airport’s dedication to providing optimal operational stability, even when disrupted by surprise challenges.
The incident has ignited an ongoing conversation about emergency response protocols and the presence of leadership in times of crisis. Woldbye’s experience serves as a reminder of the critical nature of preparedness and response in high-stakes environments such as international airports.