London
CNN
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Heathrow Airport’s Response to Power Outage
The CEO of Heathrow Airport, Thomas Woldbye, has defended the airport’s handling of the recent power outage and subsequent shutdown that resulted in significant travel disruptions globally. While he expressed regret over the situation faced by travelers, he labeled the event as “unprecedented.”
Impact of the Shutdown
Heathrow, a major international airport, experienced a complete shutdown on Friday due to a major fire at an electrical substation in a nearby suburb, leading to widespread power outages affecting both the airport and numerous homes.
Scale of Disruption
The incident is anticipated to impact around 150,000 travelers and could cost the aviation sector hundreds of millions of dollars, raising concerns regarding Heathrow’s dependency on a single power supply. The UK government has announced that the national energy operator will investigate the matter.
Airport’s Backup Systems
Woldbye claimed he was proud of how the airport responded to this unusual crisis and noted that it is commonplace for airports to rely heavily on single energy sources. He indicated that the backup power systems were operational swiftly as the substation failed.
Operational Resilience
He stated, “All our backup systems were up and running. Our control tower and runways operated normally.” However, he explained that much of the airport’s infrastructure halts during such resets, as experienced during the incident.
Apologies to Passengers
Woldbye admitted that Heathrow would take time to recover from the delays caused, which airlines have warned could last several days due to aircraft and crew being redirected to other airports. He expressed sincere apologies to those affected by the situation.
Investigation and Future Planning
An investigation by London’s counterterrorism police is underway to determine the cause of the fire. The UK’s energy secretary announced on Saturday that the National Energy System Operator will examine the incident to draw insights for enhancing the resilience of essential infrastructure against future failures.
