Aircraft at Heathrow airstrip engulfed in inferno
Every weekday, an essential email arrives in my inbox at 6:30 am, compiled by the producer of the Nick Ferrari breakfast show on LBC. This email outlines the planned stories for our on-air discussion an hour later. However, on March 21, my alarm clock malfunctioned, waking me up merely ten minutes before my scheduled appearance. My emails revealed that the morning's business news segment would concentrate on Heathrow, but the reason was unclear until I checked the news.
In a rare lapse of professionalism, I swiftly gathered information about the Heathrow fire and appeared on air. Contrary to popular belief, it seems I wasn't alone in my initial state of ignorance that fateful morning. Heathrow's CEO, Thomas Woldbye, did not learn about the airport closure until half an hour before I did.
This revelation comes from Heathrow's internal review, published the previous day, which stated that Woldbye first became aware of the situation at 6:45 am on March 21. The reason for this delay? Woldbye had his phone on silent and spent the night in slumber, with his phone resting just inches away on his bedside table. Despite numerous calls from the Chief Operating Officer attempting to reach him, Woldbye remained unresponsive until he awakened.
The media had suggested that Woldbye was aware of the fire, with some implying he intentionally delegated control in order to get some rest. One of the most influential media outlets, The Sunday Times, reported this Version, citing unnamed insiders. Although Heathrow never formally acknowledged this account, the transport secretary reportedly believed it to be accurate.
However, this finding raises a question: Where did the misinformation originate, and who briefed the transport secretary with inaccurate information? The fact that Heathrow's CEO was out of the loop during a critical incident is regrettable. But it's equally important to understand how and why a certain narrative was presented to the public that now appears to be far from the truth.
- The business news segment on March 21 focused on the fire at Heathrow Airport, a topic that also dominated general-news headlines.
- The delay in Heathrow's CEO, Thomas Woldbye, becoming aware of the airport closure was attributed to having his phone on silent and sleeping through numerous calls from his chief operating officer.
- In light of the internal review's findings that Woldbye did not know about the fire until 6:45 am on March 21, it is crucial to investigate the origin of the misinformation that suggested he was aware of the incident and intentionally delegated control.
