Heathrow's power improvements could cost £1 billion

The CEO of Heathrow Airport, Thomas Woldbye, stated that a stronger power supply system could cost around £1 billion. This change aims to prevent outages like the one experienced last week, which led to the cancellation of 1,300 flights and affected over 200,000 passengers. Woldbye faced criticism for his decision to go to bed during the crisis, saying he wanted to be well-rested to manage the situation. He expressed frustration over the incident, recognizing that while safety was the priority, the airport could have reacted more quickly. Heathrow is now evaluating options for a more robust power system that allows faster switching between sources. This system's costs might impact airline fees, sparking a discussion with airlines about funding potential improvements. A representative body for airlines using Heathrow has suggested they may pursue legal action if no settlement is reached regarding the financial impacts of the outage. Meanwhile, a review of the incident is underway, along with a government investigation into resilience at UK airports.