Heathrow Airport officials, on Monday, justified their handling of a fire incident that disrupted Europe’s busiest air terminal for almost an entire day. The fire had cut off one of the three electrical substations that supply Heathrow with power, leading to the cancellation of more than 1,300 flights on Friday. Over 200,000 passengers faced travel disruptions, with the chaos likely costing airlines tens of millions of dollars.
The airport eventually resumed operations after 18 hours, thanks to the reconfiguration of its power supply. According to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, this process required “hundreds of systems to be safely powered down and then safely powered up with extensive testing.” Over the weekend, Heathrow managed to operate on a full schedule, catering to 400,000 passengers on 2,500 flights by Saturday and Sunday.
The significant impact of the incident has stirred concerns regarding the vulnerability of Britain’s energy infrastructure against accidents, natural disasters, or potential attacks. Consequently, the government has initiated an investigation into broader lessons concerning energy resilience for crucial national infrastructure.
Initially, counterterrorism police led the probe into the fire, sparked by apprehensions over potential sabotage as European authorities brace for acts possibly instigated by Russia. The head of Britain’s MI6 has accused Moscow of reckless sabotage against Ukraine allies amid efforts to repel a three-year-long full-scale invasion by Russia. However, the police have found “no indication of any foul play,” and the London Fire Brigade is now focusing on the substation’s electrical distribution equipment in their investigation.
Gareth Bacon, the transport spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party, stressed that both accidental incidents and deliberate acts of sabotage by harmful entities warrant urgent safeguarding of critical infrastructure. Speaking in the House of Commons, he remarked on the necessity of heightened protection in light of recent events.
Meanwhile, a blame game has ensued between the utility company and airport executives. John Pettigrew, chief executive of the energy-supply network National Grid, mentioned that “each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow,” arguing that the availability of other substations demonstrated a level of resilience. He indicated that the loss of one substation was unusual but manageable.
Heathrow responded by stating that reopening was pursued “as soon as safely and practically possible.” The airport highlighted the complexity involved in safely shutting down and rebooting hundreds of critical systems, considering the scale and operational intricacies of Heathrow.
Questions have also arisen around Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye’s decision to delegate crucial decision-making to Chief Operating Officer Javier Echave amid Friday’s fire. Transport Secretary Alexander refrained from endorsing the airport’s management decisions as she lacked comprehensive information available to the executives at that time. She underscored the importance of prioritizing safety, while acknowledging that the decision-making was not her responsibility.