LONDON— The CEO of London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Thomas Woldbye, admitted to missing multiple emergency calls during a critical fire incident in March 2025 that caused widespread disruption.
The blaze at a nearby electrical substation led to a power outage, forcing a temporary airport shutdown and the cancellation of over 1,300 flights, severely affecting operations and 270,000 passengers.
The affected flights included major international and domestic carriers, such as British Airways (BA), operating out of London Heathrow (LHR).
Woldbye said the failure to respond was “frustrating” but maintained that the airport’s crisis management functioned as intended, even in his absence, BBC reported.
Photo: PixabayLondon Heathrow Airport CEO on Fire Fallout
The incident began in the early hours of March 21, 2025, when a fire broke out at an electrical substation supplying Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Woldbye admitted he missed two emergency alerts and several calls because his mobile phone had switched to silent mode overnight. He acknowledged the mistake publicly, calling it a learning experience: “That is one learning, and that will not happen again,” he told PA.
Operations were halted entirely after the airport experienced a severe power loss, paralyzing air traffic and stranding tens of thousands of passengers.
According to a formal review led by former UK Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye failed to respond to two emergency alerts and several calls as his phone was in “silent mode.”
He reportedly became aware of the unfolding crisis only around 6:45 a.m., hours after the decision was made to suspend airport operations.
Despite the communication lapse, Woldbye emphasized that Heathrow’s emergency systems activated promptly. “The organisation acted correctly even without me being informed,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, affirming confidence in the airport’s internal crisis response measures.
Photo: Wallpaper FlareFinancial and Operational Impact
The power outage severely impacted Heathrow’s financial performance. The airport’s pre-tax profits fell by 37.2% in the first half of 2025, amounting to £203 million.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Woldbye stated the financial impact is expected to be in the “low tens of millions” range.
The scale of disruption, affecting airlines such as Virgin Atlantic (VS), Lufthansa (LH), and Emirates (EK), triggered ripple effects across international hubs, including New York (JFK), Dubai (DXB), and Frankfurt (FRA).
No flights operated from Heathrow until approximately 6:00 p.m. on March 21, with the crisis effectively halting one of the world’s busiest aviation centers for most of the day.
Photo: By Mitchul Hope – British Airways | G-YMMJ | Boeing 777-236(ER) | London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129305813Substation Fire Linked to Long-Standing Fault
The fire originated at the North Hyde substation, which is operated by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET).
According to the National Energy System Operator (Neso), the blaze was caused by a preventable technical fault—specifically, elevated moisture in oil samples detected as far back as July 2018. Despite the warning signs, the faulty bushings were not replaced, directly contributing to the fire.
Following the publication of these findings, the UK’s energy watchdog, Ofgem, launched an enforcement investigation into NGET. Heathrow Airport Limited is awaiting the final report from Ofgem to determine the possibility of claiming compensation for the disruption.
The airport is also considering legal action against National Grid for failing to act on the known substation fault that led to the power failure.
Bottom Line
The March 21 incident has sparked questions about leadership communication during emergencies and infrastructure accountability. While Woldbye has accepted personal criticism for missing critical calls, he maintained that the response on the ground was effective and timely.
The airport continues to assess systemic improvements to ensure real-time communication among key personnel and prevent similar future lapses.
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