Heathrow ‘warned of risks to power supply before fire’
April 2, 2025
Heathrow Airport was allegedly warned about the lack of resilience at its electrical substations days before a fire forced it to shut down for 18 hours, causing major disruption for passengers.
Nigel Wicking, head of the Heathrow Airline Operators’ Committee—which represents 90 airlines using the hub—said he had raised concerns about the airport’s substations on March 15, specifically warning that they were vulnerable.
“I’d actually warned Heathrow of concerns that we had with regard to the substations, and my concern was resilience,” Wicking said during a Commons committee which is investigating the incident.
His concerns grew just days before the fire when the lights on one of Heathrow’s runways briefly went out following “theft of wire and cable around some of the power supply”.
Despite these warnings, a fire broke out on March 21, crippling airport operations and leading to widespread cancellations. The incident has intensified scrutiny over Heathrow’s infrastructure, with questions now being asked about whether the airport took sufficient action to address the risks highlighted.
Also addressing MPs, Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, apologised for the incident, adding: “We have contracted specifically a resilient setup which includes backup transformers and three different power lines … All of that is supposed to be resilient.”
