Heathrow Airport is facing a financial hit in the “low tens of millions” of pounds following the widespread disruption caused by a substation fire in March, its chief executive Thomas Woldbye has confirmed.
The fire at the North Hyde substation on the night of March 20 led to a full-day shutdown of operations at Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports. No flights operated until approximately 6pm on March 21, with over 270,000 passenger journeys affected by the power outage.
Speaking to the Press Association, Woldbye admitted the incident has not only caused financial damage but also highlighted critical lessons for the airport’s leadership and crisis response protocols. “That is one learning and that will not happen again. I would have liked to see my personal role play out differently,” he said, referring to the fact that he was asleep with his phone on silent when the decision to close the airport was made.
He emphasised the need for systems that ensure appropriate decision-making regardless of who is available. “An organisation like ours has to be able to manage, whether the captain’s on the bridge or not,” he added.
Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator, has launched an enforcement investigation into National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) following a report that found the fire was likely caused by a preventable technical fault. The National Energy System Operator (Neso) stated that elevated moisture was detected in oil samples at the North Hyde substation as far back as July 2018. Despite this warning, faulty electrical insulators known as bushings were not replaced, contributing to the blaze.
Heathrow is now awaiting Ofgem’s final report, which will determine whether the airport can seek compensation from NGET.
The incident occurred as Heathrow reported a challenging financial period. Despite a record 39.9 million passengers in the first half of 2025—a 0.3% year-on-year increase—pre-tax profits fell sharply by 37.2% to £203 million. Rising operational costs, particularly a higher wage bill linked to last autumn’s budgetary measures, were cited as key contributors to the earnings drop.
In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Woldbye rejected suggestions that he had misjudged the responsibilities of leading such a critical transport hub. However, his handling of the outage and the airport’s preparedness for such emergencies are now under scrutiny.
As Heathrow recovers from the disruption and awaits regulatory findings, the event has reignited broader questions about infrastructure resilience, accountability, and executive leadership in crisis situations.
