Heathrow boss who slept through airport fire shut-down should never have had phone on silent, says rival airline chief

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

The boss of Heathrow who was unaware of that a substation fire shut down one of the world's busiest airports should 'never' have had his phone on silent, according to an airline chief.
A review into the fire which took place on March 20 into March 21 and disrupted more than 200,000 passenger journeys found that the airport's chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, had been called when the fire broke out but did not answer his phone.
The Kelly Review concluded that Mr Woldbye's phone was muted 'without him being aware' and that he only knew of the fire at 6.45am - more than seven hours after it broke out at 11.20pm.
Chief operating officer Javier Echave attempted to call his boss 'several times' during the night and raised an F24 alarm to activate emergency command response teams, but did not hear back.
As detailed in the 75-page report, Mr Woldbye - who was paid more than £3million last year - said he felt 'deep regret' at not being contactable during the incident.
But Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said he would 'never' have made the same mistake when speaking today at an industry event, as first reported by The Telegraph.
Mr Weiss said: 'The last time I put my phone on silent when running an airline was – never. I think all of my colleagues would share that observation. This is a 24/7 job and safety and security are the number one priority.'
The Virgin boss added that Heathrow should begin compensating airlines for the cost of the shutdown in the wake of the Kelly Review.
Emirates Airline chief Sir Tim Clark also said he was 'shocked' by Heathrow's 'floundering' response to the fire, adding that Emirates 'never close their eyes' to such problems potentially arising.
Meanwhile International Air Transport Association CEO Willie Walsh said the shutdown of Heathrow showed Britain to be 'vulnerable' under Labour leadership.
A Heathrow spokesman told MailOnline: 'The Kelly review, as well as independent legal counsel assisting the panel, had access to all Heathrow decision-makers and company papers and published a well-documented and robust report containing a number of findings and recommendations.
'The review concluded that while some detailed elements of our response could be sharpened, the overall approach to prioritise safety was the right one and the right decisions were taken on the day. We have accepted all the recommendations in full.'
The report was led by former Labour Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly and concluded that closing the airport was the 'correct' and 'essential' decision.
Ms Kelly said the fire at the North Hyde substation had been 'unprecedented' and that waiting until March 22 to fully re-open was wise, given that safety checks needed to be carried out before full service could resume.
'The evidence confirms that Heathrow made the right decisions in exceptionally difficult circumstances,' she said in a statement accompanying the report.
'Whilst the disruption was significant, alternative choices on the day would not have materially changed the outcome.
'The airport had contingency plans in place, and the report highlights that further planned investment in energy resilience will be key to reducing the impact of any similar events in the future.'
The shutdown of the substation prompted questions over why Heathrow was not prepared to cope in the event of a total power loss and why it took 18 hours for power to be fully restored.
But the report revealed that the power loss crippled vital safety systems and infrastructure including an airport fire station.
Security staff in Terminal 2 had to use the torches on their phones to see at night because of the total loss of power.
The report revealed that the power loss crippled vital safety systems and infrastructure including an airport fire station
London Fire Brigade officers also told Heathrow they would not be able to safely bring the fire under control for at least six hours.
Interim findings published by the National Energy System Operator earlier this month found power was restored to a chaos-stricken Heathrow around seven hours before flights were allowed to resume.
The electricity was switched back on for all four terminals - Terminal One no longer being in use - at 10.56am on March 21, almost 12 hours after the fire broke out.
Heathrow said the report raises 'important questions' for National Grid - which owns the substation that caught fire - and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which is responsible for power distribution in the area.
In all, 1,273 flights were disrupted by the near-24-hour closure with economists estimating that the fire cost the UK up to £4.8million in lost tourism alone.
But not a single Heathrow employee interviewed for the review disagreed with the decision to close.
While the review was largely positive about the airport's response to the fire, Ms Kelly issued 28 recommendations for Heathrow to consider.
They include firming up relations with SSEN - which is responsible for local power distribution - as well as ensuring emergency lighting is in place across terminals, and assessing whether to invest in additional back-up generators.
There is also a recommendation to have a 'second means of contact' for key individuals, such as CEO Mr Woldbye.
Heathrow Chairman Lord Deighton said after the report: 'The Kelly Review is thorough with clear recommendations which the management team will be taking forward.
'This was an unprecedented set of circumstances, but the learnings identified in the Kelly Review will make Heathrow more fit for the future.'