Chaos at world’s busiest airport after outage
Atlanta International, the world’s busiest airport, yesterday had power returned after an 11-hour cut that left thousands of passengers in the dark and affected hundreds of flights.
“Five thousand-plus meals are being delivered to passengers,” the airport said.
It did not say how long it would take to clear the backlog of flights but it was offering passengers “free parking until 8am”, or about eight hours after the power was returned.
Flightview.com, which tracks air travel, listed hundreds of flights as delayed, cancelled or diverted since Sunday afternoon, but it also began to show several departures scheduled for 6am.
The Georgia Power company said “power had been restored for all essential airport activities including all concourses and flight operations”.
It described the cut as very rare.
Although the exact cause is not yet known, Georgia Power said preliminary investigation suggested that a fire had damaged cables and caused the power disruption.
“No personnel or passengers were in danger at any time,” the company said.
During the cut, passengers walked or sat in crowded corridors, with windows only partially cutting through the gloom.
A woman said she was waiting in the security line when “they turned off the lights. A few times they went off and then finally they shut off completely.”
One passenger, Mike Vizdos, said he and other passengers were trapped on their aircraft because the power went out as it reached the terminal gate after arriving from Costa Rica.
“We sat on the plane for six hours and then cleared customs and immigration,” Mr Vizdos said, still hoping to reach his home in Richmond, Virginia, the following day.
The Federal Aviation Administration placed a “ground stop” on flights inbound to Atlanta.
“The FAA Tower can operate normally, however, departures are delayed because airport equipment in the terminals is not working,” the authority said.
Those stuck at the airport were not amused. “I haven’t eaten since 8am,” one wrote on Twitter.
Others said people were not allowed to leave the airport, including a mother who wrote: “My kid is trapped with the others at the Atlanta airport. No one is allowed to leave. Isn’t this kidnapping?”
Preliminary investigation suggested that a fire had damaged cables and caused the power disruption