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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The sleeping Heathrow boss proves we're a nation led by donkeys
It was one of the more astonishing admissions of the week: 'Sorry lads, my phone was on silent.' Or, as the Kelly Review, published on Wednesday, put it: 'Mr Woldbye expressed to us his deep regret at not being contactable during the night of the incident.' The apology nestles in a 75-page report authored by Ruth Kelly, the former transport secretary, who examined the circumstances relating to the closure of Heathrow Airport on March 21. It's an impressively speedy job, with most inquiries of this nature usually waiting for the protagonists to die – or, at best, until their memories have long faded and the events have been massaged into a Netflix documentary – to be concluded. Yet here is a report published while the senior folk of one of the largest and busiest airports in Europe are still firmly in post, and clinging on for dear life – especially the chief executive, Thomas Woldbye. Indeed he has been vexed at the idea that he acted in any way other than exemplary over the 18-hour shutdown of Heathrow that resulted in the cancellation of 1,300 flights and affected some 270,000 passengers. The day after the shutdown, the Danish businessman even told Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that, in relation to the actions and decisions of Heathrow and related parties, he was 'proud of the entire ecosystem'. Pride being the most plausible emotion for him to express because, when the decision was taken to press the Heathrow off-button, Woldbye was asleep. Which for a Dane strikes me as a peculiarly British reaction, albeit with firm roots in the comedy of Captain Mainwaring of Dad's Army or Blackadder's General Melchett. Our hero, Woldbye, as you can read on page 36 of the report (section 14, subsection 3), 'first became aware of the incident at approximately 06:45 on 21 March, and received a debrief from Mr Echave [Heathrow's chief operating officer]'. 'Fine work, man,' he might have said. 'Now, what's going on?' And, famously, it was not for want of trying to get hold of Woldbye during the night. In fact, what is known in the trade as the most 'critical event communication platform that provides information and sends alerts through all available communication channels', an F24 alarm was issued at 00.21. This is the technical equivalent of a cold bucket of water being thrown in your face, a gong being struck by your ear, a jumping up and down on Daddy at dawn. There was another F24 sent at 01.52, this one activating Gold (harder slaps around the chops, cries of 'wake up, you idiot!') and Echave, also we learn, 'attempted to call Mr Woldbye several times during the early hours'. Except Woldbye's mobile, albeit on his bedside table, was on silent. Or, as the report states, 'the phone had gone into a silent mode, without him being aware it had done so'. That's right, the man in charge of Heathrow – an airport that uses the most sophisticated technology available to run and protect a place with planes departing and landing every 45 seconds – has a phone that, completely of its own accord, jumps into 'do not disturb' mode. Perhaps the man whose most recent annual take-home pay was £3.2 million needs a second phone. Or how about an old-school landline with a trilling bell on it? We Brits are, quite clearly, lions led by donkeys. Incompetence seems key to the skill set in running either a large company or indeed government. There are, for example, the civil servants of the Department for Business and Trade who, in the face of colossal public pressure and moral finger-wagging, continue to resist fully compensating the likes of Sir Alan Bates for the Horizon IT system scandal. Last weekend he revealed that he had been offered a 'take it or leave it' offer of 49.2 per cent of his original claim. The compensation scheme, Sir Alan said, had become 'quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses'. Or, consider the major water companies presiding over the effluent that pollutes our rivers. Earlier this month, Chris Weston, the CEO of Thames Water – Britain's biggest water company; a firm with massive debts, outdated infrastructure and more leaks and spills than the Titanic – admitted that senior managers had been in line for substantial bonuses courtesy of a privately financed £3 billion rescue-plan loan. Following pressure from Environment Secretary Steve Reed, Weston's spokesperson then announced that payments had been 'paused'. Yet, as The Guardian reported, Thames Water 'declined to answer questions about whether any of the retention package has already been paid'. High Court judge Mr Justice Leech, in relation to an £800 million cost to be spent on interest and advisers for the debt deal, said: 'Customers and residents who are struggling with their bills will be horrified at these costs and mystified how the Thames Water Group has been able to fund them or why it has agreed to do so.' Ponder, too, on those who run Royal Mail, increasing prices while presiding over terminal decline of their services, and the pen-pushing ninnies of our councils conjuring up safety costs that are wrecking traditional country street fairs and festivals. Indeed, just look to the politicians who run our country. We have a Chancellor in Rachel Reeves who claims to support hospitality while actually savaging it with increases in National Insurance Contributions for employers, and a Secretary of State for Education gleefully manifesting over a VAT policy that is closing down private schools. Hapless leadership is a terrific subject for fiction. But, sometimes, life is not supposed to mimic art. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
The boss of Heathrow slept through the first 6 hours of a mass power outage that shut down Europe's busiest airport
The CEO of London Heathrow Airport was asleep and colleagues struggled to reach him during the first hours of the shutdown in March. Some 200,000 passengers faced disruption when Europe's busiest airport suffered a power outage due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation. A review into the incident was published on Wednesday, shedding more light on how executives handled the crisis. The alarm was raised shortly after midnight on March 21, as several key systems lost power and others were left using back-up energy. However, Thomas Woldbye, the airport's CEO, could not be reached. The chief operating officer, Javier Echave, also attempted to call him "several times" during the early hours of the day, according to the review. Woldbye ultimately missed the decision to suspend airport operations, which was instead made by Echave. The CEO said he became aware of the incident at around 6:45 a.m., some five and a half hours after the airport had decided to shut down, and more than six hours after the first indication of problems. He reported to the review that he didn't hear the first alarm or Echave's calls because he wasn't aware that his phone had gone into silent mode while he was asleep. While the CEO's absence may have added to the stress on the day, both Echave and Woldbye said the decision to stop operations wouldn't have changed if the latter had been involved. The review recommended "enhancements" to the notification process of critical incidents, such as a second means of contacting key individuals. It added that Heathrow has "taken steps" to implement this. In total, 27 recommendations were made by the review, led by Ruth Kelly, an independent Heathrow board member and former UK transportation secretary. "Whilst the disruption was significant, alternative choices on the day would not have materially changed the outcome," she said in a press release. "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," Kelly added. A full report from the National Energy System Operator is expected by the end of June.
Leader Live
4 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Heathrow chief's phone on silent mode as fire unfolded, inquiry finds
Thomas Woldbye was in bed as senior Heathrow staff decided to suspend operations because of a fire at a nearby electrical substation. No flights operated at the west London airport until about 6pm on March 21 because of the blaze which started late the previous night. More than 270,000 air passenger journeys were disrupted by the incident. Heathrow commissioned an inquiry into what happened, led by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, who is an independent member of the airport's board. The Kelly Review found that Mr Woldbye 'was not involved' in the decision taken by the airport's chief operating officer Javier Echave at 1.15am on March 21 to suspend operations until 11.59pm. Mr Woldbye's mobile was 'on his bedside table' but he was unaware of multiple attempts to alert him to the situation as the device was on silent mode, the Kelly Review said. Alerts known as F24 alarms were sent to Mr Woldbye's mobile at 12.21am and 1.52am to activate emergency procedures, and Mr Echave tried to call him several times. The report stated: 'Although his phone was on his bedside table, Mr Woldbye reported that it did not alert him to the F24 alarms or to Mr Echave's other calls because the phone had gone into a silent mode, without him being aware it had done so and he was asleep at the time.' It added: 'Mr Woldbye first became aware of the incident at approximately 6.45am on March 21, and received a debrief from Mr Echave.' Mr Woldbye expressed 'his deep regret at not being contactable during the night of the incident', the review said. The review recommended that Heathrow considers having a 'second means of contact' to notify key individuals about critical incidents. It concluded that the decision to suspend operations after the power outage was 'correctly made' as this was 'essential to protect the safety and security of people, as well as the integrity of the airport and the UK border'. The report stated that on March 21, Heathrow began accepting limited flight arrivals from 4pm and departures from 8pm, before fully reopening on March 22. The inquiry found there 'may have been opportunities to open parts of the airport slightly sooner' on March 21 but this 'likely would have been only by a maximum of a couple of hours or so'. Ms Kelly said: 'The evidence confirms that Heathrow made the right decisions in exceptionally difficult circumstances. '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.' Mr Woldbye said: 'Heathrow exists to serve our passengers and airlines, which made the decision to close the airport in March because of the North Hyde substation fire tough, but necessary. 'We hope that all our stakeholders understand this was done to protect the safety of passengers and colleagues. 'We're truly sorry for the disrupted journeys, and we understand the impact this had on so many of our customers.' A spokesperson for the Heathrow Reimagined campaign, whose supporters include British Airways' owner International Airlines Group and Virgin Atlantic, said: 'Lessons must be learnt from the closure of Heathrow during March's power outage, but the internal Kelly Review allows Heathrow to set and judge by its own standards. 'It fails to properly tackle the poor contingency planning and years of inefficient spending that left Heathrow vulnerable.' The National Energy System Operator (Neso), which is also investigating what happened, published an interim report earlier this month which stated the cause of the fire remains unknown. It is expected to publish its full report by the end of June.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Heathrow chief asleep as airport closed
Attempts to tell Heathrow airport's sleeping chief executive that the airport had been closed because of a power outage failed because his bedside phone was on silent, an inquiry has found. Thomas Woldbye was in bed as senior Heathrow staff decided to suspend operations because of a fire at a nearby electrical substation. No flights operated at the west London airport until about 18:00 GMT on 21 March because of the blaze which started late the previous night. The closure, which affected 270,000 journeys, was caused by "an unprecedented set of circumstances", Heathrow chairman Lord Deighton said, adding the airport's infrastructure will be made "more fit for the future". Heathrow commissioned the inquiry into what happened, led by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, who is an independent member of the airport's board. The Kelly Review found that Mr Woldbye "was not involved" in the decision taken by the airport's chief operating officer Javier Echave at 01:15 on 21 March to suspend operations until 23:59. Alerts known as F24 alarms were sent to Mr Woldbye's mobile at 00:21 and 01:52 to activate emergency procedures, and Mr Echave tried to call him several times. The report stated: "Mr Woldbye first became aware of the incident at approximately 06:45 on 21 March, and received a debrief from Mr Echave." Mr Woldbye expressed "his deep regret at not being contactable during the night of the incident", the review said. The review recommended that Heathrow considers having a "second means of contact" to notify key individuals about critical incidents. The Sunday Times first reported that Mr Woldbye slept as the major disruption unfolded on 21 March. However, when asked by the Daily Mail, a Heathrow spokesperson described the Sunday Times' account of events as "ill-informed misinformation". "Thomas, and his whole senior leadership team, were exactly where they were supposed to be during an incident of this scale," the spokesperson had said. Heathrow shutdown cause still unknown, report says 'We warned of power issues before Heathrow outage' How did a single fire bring down Europe's busiest airport? The review concluded that the airport had responded "efficiently and smoothly". The report found that the decision "to stop operations immediately was correctly made and essential to protect the safety and security of people" and decision-makers acted appropriately. "The evidence confirms that Heathrow made the right decisions in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Whilst the disruption was significant, alternative choices on the day would not have materially changed the outcome," Ms Kelly said. Looking at Heathrow's preparedness, the report's authors found the contingency plans in place "overall worked well". Heathrow Reimagined, a pressure group campaigning for reforms in how the airport is regulated, said it was critical of the Kelly Review. The group said: "The internal Kelly Review allows Heathrow to set and judge by its own standards. "It fails to properly tackle the poor contingency planning and years of inefficient spending that left Heathrow vulnerable." The review also examined whether the airport should have anticipated what impact a loss of power from the substation would have. It found that Heathrow had "assessed its high voltage electricity supply as resilient due to it having three separate intakes from the National Grid, all with multiple connections to the airport and multiple transformers at the National Grid/SSEN substations providing redundancy in the event of failure". The review states the airport had deemed what occurred in March as a "low likelihood event". Lord Deighton said the Kelly Review was "thorough with clear recommendations which the management team will be taking forward". March's shutdown cost airlines millions of pounds and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers. An interim report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso), published earlier this month, said the cause of the North Hyde substation fire remained unknown. Heathrow's management has been criticised for the decision to close the airport and the long shutdown that followed as Neso said power had been restored seven hours before any flights resumed. Neso's full report is expected to be published by the end of June. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
Western Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Heathrow chief's phone on silent mode as fire unfolded, inquiry finds
Thomas Woldbye was in bed as senior Heathrow staff decided to suspend operations because of a fire at a nearby electrical substation. No flights operated at the west London airport until about 6pm on March 21 because of the blaze which started late the previous night. More than 270,000 air passenger journeys were disrupted by the incident. Heathrow commissioned an inquiry into what happened, led by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, who is an independent member of the airport's board. The Kelly Review found that Mr Woldbye 'was not involved' in the decision taken by the airport's chief operating officer Javier Echave at 1.15am on March 21 to suspend operations until 11.59pm. Mr Woldbye's mobile was 'on his bedside table' but he was unaware of multiple attempts to alert him to the situation as the device was on silent mode, the Kelly Review said. Alerts known as F24 alarms were sent to Mr Woldbye's mobile at 12.21am and 1.52am to activate emergency procedures, and Mr Echave tried to call him several times. The report stated: 'Although his phone was on his bedside table, Mr Woldbye reported that it did not alert him to the F24 alarms or to Mr Echave's other calls because the phone had gone into a silent mode, without him being aware it had done so and he was asleep at the time.' It added: 'Mr Woldbye first became aware of the incident at approximately 6.45am on March 21, and received a debrief from Mr Echave.' Mr Woldbye expressed 'his deep regret at not being contactable during the night of the incident', the review said. The review recommended that Heathrow considers having a 'second means of contact' to notify key individuals about critical incidents. It concluded that the decision to suspend operations after the power outage was 'correctly made' as this was 'essential to protect the safety and security of people, as well as the integrity of the airport and the UK border'. The report stated that on March 21, Heathrow began accepting limited flight arrivals from 4pm and departures from 8pm, before fully reopening on March 22. The inquiry found there 'may have been opportunities to open parts of the airport slightly sooner' on March 21 but this 'likely would have been only by a maximum of a couple of hours or so'. People watch a British Airways plane at Heathrow Airport in London (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) Ms Kelly said: 'The evidence confirms that Heathrow made the right decisions in exceptionally difficult circumstances. '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.' Mr Woldbye said: 'Heathrow exists to serve our passengers and airlines, which made the decision to close the airport in March because of the North Hyde substation fire tough, but necessary. 'We hope that all our stakeholders understand this was done to protect the safety of passengers and colleagues. 'We're truly sorry for the disrupted journeys, and we understand the impact this had on so many of our customers.' A spokesperson for the Heathrow Reimagined campaign, whose supporters include British Airways' owner International Airlines Group and Virgin Atlantic, said: 'Lessons must be learnt from the closure of Heathrow during March's power outage, but the internal Kelly Review allows Heathrow to set and judge by its own standards. 'It fails to properly tackle the poor contingency planning and years of inefficient spending that left Heathrow vulnerable.' The National Energy System Operator (Neso), which is also investigating what happened, published an interim report earlier this month which stated the cause of the fire remains unknown. It is expected to publish its full report by the end of June.
