Heathrow Airport’s Chief Executive, Thomas Woldbye, has issued a formal apology to passengers following a day of severe disruption caused by a major power outage linked to a substation fire near the airport.

Speaking this evening, Mr Woldbye reassured travellers that operations are expected to resume in full by tomorrow morning, after the unprecedented shutdown of the UK’s busiest airport affected thousands of flights and left tens of thousands of passengers stranded.

“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and airline partners today,” Mr Woldbye said.
“Our teams have been working tirelessly alongside emergency services and power network engineers to restore full functionality. I’m pleased to confirm that tomorrow morning we expect to be back in full operation.”

The disruption, triggered by a fire at the North Hyde electrical substation late on Wednesday night, forced the closure of Heathrow Airport on Thursday, grounding over 1,300 flights and affecting approximately 200,000 passengers.

Mr Woldbye acknowledged the frustration felt by travellers, many of whom faced cancelled flights, lengthy delays, and last-minute accommodation struggles amid skyrocketing hotel prices.

“We understand how distressing and difficult today’s experience has been for so many people,” he said. “We are sincerely sorry for the disruption and thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”

He added that additional staff will be on hand tomorrow to assist with the backlog of passengers and to ensure a smooth return to normal airport operations.

The airport has urged passengers to check with their airlines for updated flight information before travelling and to allow extra time for their journeys as operations resume.