Streamlining engineering for Heathrow Airport’s 24/7 operations

Overview of the challenge

Heathrow is the largest airport in the UK, and one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world. In 2024, month on month the airport has seen record numbers of passengers, so keeping it running smoothly and efficiently is a key priority.

Mitie has partnered with Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) since 2010. In this time our contract has evolved and adapted to best meet the client’s needs. We self-deliver 90% of the hard services across all five terminals and Heathrow Compass Centre (Head Office) including mechanical and electrical (M&E) maintenance, building fabric maintenance, water systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), projects, roofing, fire stopping, gates and fencing, control barriers, water features, computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) and a 24/7 helpdesk.

It’s crucial that we maintain a seamless continuous power and HVAC supply across the estate. The infrastructure we support includes rail and infrastructure connecting airside/landside, and maintaining power supplies to the air traffic control tower. These are all integral to keeping the airport running smoothly.

Our approach

We operate a dedicated team of 200 people who provide 24/7 engineering support, including maintenance, monitoring, and installation services.

Our priority is making sure the users of the airport have an enjoyable and safe visit. We achieve this through daily collaboration with the airport facilities team to discuss our operation that day, specific activity happening (such as VIP visits), emergencies or unusual events taking place during our shifts and any changes to the airport function – for example, airline moves or industrial action.

For effective asset management, we interface with the client’s system, Maximo, to record planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and reactive works.

We’ve also implemented condition-based monitoring techniques, such as vibration analysis. This is a technique for monitoring the health of machines with moving parts, helping to foresee potential problems and adjust maintenance as needed. Mitie have undertaken a trial within terminals for high level fans to have continuous condition-based monitoring to reduce the cost of the maintenance and the need for working at height.

A similar approach has also been applied to Heathrow’s biomass power plant. The power plant provides heating for Terminal 2 and runs a generator which supplies electricity back to the grid, providing an additional income stream for HAL.

It generates electricity by burning woodchip and contains around 30 pieces of rotating machinery. Introducing vibration analysis has led to significant cost savings by determining if the bearings need changing, potentially extending the machinery lifespan beyond the usual 2-year cycle. In addition, temperature sensors installed in the furnace inform cleaning processes, enhancing overall efficiency.

“The relationship that Heathrow holds with Mitie is strong and growing stronger. Our collaborative strategic planning with open and honest conversation has resulted in a five-year contract extension for Mitie with cost saving opportunities realised by Heathrow Airport, a win-win. Mitie are always responsive to technical challenges and pro-actively seek to offer the airport value for money whilst maintaining asset performance. The Heathrow based team are aways supportive and maintain a high level of discretion when it’s required. The forecast for the next few years continues to show significant growth in passenger numbers, continuing to use the same 4 terminals. These will be busier than ever and as a consequence, will require an extremely high standard of care to ensure that passengers and colleagues’ transit through and work for an airport that is fit for the future. I know that Mitie will rise to this challenge.”

The results

By applying vibration analysis and temperature sensors, we effectively reviewed and adjusted maintenance methods for the biomass power plant at Heathrow. This made maintenance more efficient by reducing the need to dismantle assets. With valuable data from these methods, we can predict asset failures, which has resulted in significant cost savings, reduced downtime, and asset replacement only when required.

We also implemented our Business Excellence Smart Toolbox (BEST) training programme to support the client’s customer service transformation strategy. As part of this, we’ve trained our teams to use Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) techniques to drive efficiencies and improvements to deliver a value for money and award-winning customer service. The programme has been rolled out to 40 employees and a benefit has included team members identifying a need for upskilling to self-deliver. This reduced our reliance on subcontractors and saved the client £300k pa.

Why choose Mitie?

As the UK’s largest facilities management maintenance provider, we use highly trained, fully qualified engineers to implement and manage appropriate solutions. Safety, compliance and optimal environments come as standard.