Getty ImagesThe prime minister has said he is "deeply concerned" about the closure of Heathrow Airport as a result of a power cut caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation.
Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC "there are questions" for bosses of the UK's largest airport to answer over the 18-hour long closure on Friday, which disrupted the journeys of some 200,000 passengers.
On Monday, Heathrow defended its decision to shut down following claims that it did have enough power to operate after the substation fire.
The airport said it had to ground flights due to the time it took to switch from the damaged substation to two alternative power supplies, but added "lessons can and will be learned".
The impact of Friday's fire from a single power source has raised questions over Heathrow's resilience and disaster plans, which sees thousands of passengers and millions of pounds worth of trade pass through its four terminals on a daily basis.
The airport, along with National Grid, which oversees the UK's electricity network, agreed the impact of fire which broke out at the substation in Hayes was unprecedented.
But John Pettigrew, chief executive of National Grid, told the Financial Times that two other substations remained operational and capable of powering the airport.
He said he could not recall a transformer failing to such an extent in his 30-year career, but said there was a "level of resilience" provided by two other substations.
"Each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow," he said.
In an interview with the BBC, Sir Keir said there were still unanswered questions.
"I don't want to see an airport as important as Heathrow going down in the way it did on Friday, so I'm not comfortable with that for one second," he added.
An investigation has been ordered by the government to establish what happened, with initial findings to be provided within six weeks.
An internal review of the airport's crisis management plans and its response will also be undertaken by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, who is an independent member of Heathrow's board.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC the airport's "well designed" resilience plans had worked as intended, but added they were never designed to protect the entire energy supply for the whole airport.
Asked if she had confidence in Heathrow's leadership team after reports some senior management went back to bed, leaving the decision to close the airport to more junior executives, Alexander said it was "not a matter for me".
She said she understood Heathrow's chief operating officer, Javier Echave, was "taking some of the critical decisions" early on Friday, but that she got a "pretty much instantaneous response" when she requested to speak to the chief executive Thomas Woldbye.
"The individuals who need to ask themselves whether they have full confidence in Heathrow management are the Heathrow board," the transport secretary added.
The BBC has contacted the airport regarding the reports.
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