The UK’s transport secretary expressed concern over Heathrow airport’s management during a recent crisis, questioning the decision of the airport’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, to sleep during the event. A fire at a nearby electricity substation caused significant disruptions on Friday, affecting over 200,000 passengers globally. While Woldbye went to bed at 12:30am, leaving key decisions to his chief operating officer, Heathrow officials defended the decision, noting it was made to ensure Woldbye was well-rested for the next day’s critical decision-making regarding the airport’s reopening.

Woldbye, who has been the CEO of Heathrow since October 2023 and previously headed Copenhagen airport for 12 years, faced criticism, with his compensation last year totaling £3.2 million, including a £2.2 million bonus. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, while acknowledging she would find it difficult to sleep in such a situation, stopped short of questioning Woldbye’s confidence directly. She emphasized her understanding of the delegation of responsibilities and the difficult decisions faced by Woldbye and his team.

Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, experienced over 1,000 flight cancellations following the fire, with operations resuming on Saturday and returning to near-normal by Sunday, albeit with minor delays. The incident sparked a verbal exchange between Heathrow and National Grid, with National Grid’s head suggesting the airport could have remained operational. Heathrow countered, emphasizing the incident’s unprecedented nature and the complexity of restarting operations safely.

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has directed the National Energy System Operator to investigate the power outage, and an internal review of Heathrow’s crisis management is underway. Despite the disruptions, Heathrow managed a full schedule on Monday, serving over 1,300 flights and more than 2,500 flights over the weekend, apologizing for the inconvenience caused and reaffirming its commitment to passenger service.