Heathrow’s CEO, Thomas Woldbye, was unreachable during a major power outage on March 20-21 due to his phone being on silent, resulting in the cancellation of over 1,300 flights. An internal review indicated that while Woldbye expressed deep regret, his absence did not affect decision-making, as deputy Javier Echave was authorized to close the airport. The report recommended improvements in executive communication during crises and highlighted the need for better infrastructure resilience, following the unresolved cause of the fire at a nearby electricity substation.
