AS Heathrow begins to return to normal after the fire at the sub-station which closed the airport on Friday, major investigations and assessments have already begun into how and why such a disruption could have been allowed to happen at one of the world’s major transport hubs.
Willie Walsh, the Dublin man who is Director General of IATA (The International Air Transport Association) — and a foremost voice in world aviation — said on Friday: “Today’s closing of Heathrow will inconvenience a huge number of travellers. We thank those affected for their patience as airlines focus on getting them to their destination as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Walsh then went on to castigate the running of Heathrow.
“This is yet another case of Heathrow letting down both travellers and airlines. And that begs some serious questions. Firstly, how is it that critical infrastructure—of national and global importance—is totally dependent on a single power source without an alternative. If that is the case—as it seems—then it is a clear planning failure by the airport. And, from that arises the question of who bears the costs of taking care of disrupted travellers. We must find a fairer allocation of passenger care costs than airlines alone picking up the tab when infrastructure fails. Until that happens, Heathrow has very little incentive to improve.”
Walsh, who is boss of IATA, has long been a critic of many aspects of the running of Heathrow, and of the management. As one of the most powerful voices in aviation, his words on this latest incident will hit home. IATA is a global trade organisation representing around 300 airlines, accounting for over 80% of global air traffic.
Willie Walsh (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)Meanwhile, British Airways Chief Executive and Chairman Sean Doyle, from Cork and based at Harmondsworth near Heathrow, described the situation as unprecedented and anticipated a huge impact on passengers over the coming days. Doyle noted that British Airways had been forced to ground its operations, cancelling all short-haul and most long-haul flights scheduled for Friday, affecting over 100,000 customers across more than 670 flights. In a statement Doyle said that the incident will have a substantial impact on our airline and customers for many days to come, with disruption to journeys expected.