Updated: Power Outage Halts Flights at World’s Busiest Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta is currently experiencing a power outage affecting several critical areas within the airport. Officials are not certain of the cause, which was first reported around 1:15 p.m. ET.

“The Federal Aviation Administration has put in a ground stop for flights headed to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport due to a power outage affecting the airport terminals. The FAA Tower can operate normally, however, departures are delayed because airport equipment in the terminals is not working. A ground stop means that flights headed to Atlanta are held on the ground at their departure airport,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

https://twitter.com/TwitterMoments/status/942469736306216961

Reports on Twitter have stated that airplanes are parked along the taxiways and there is little information available regarding how long it will take to resolve the issue.

They are starting to let some off now using the stairs. Hopefully all will get off and not have to wait for the power to be restored

— Nyasha Pace (@timeoutlady) December 17, 2017

Delta, the largest carrier in Atlanta with nearly 73 percent of the airport’s total operation, issued a Tweet stating, “Delta is aware of a power outage at @ATLairport affecting airport concourses and terminal buildings. Flight disruptions are expected as a result and Delta customers are encouraged [to] check the status of their flight via the Fly Delta Mobile App or Delta.com.”

The airline updated their statement at 7:15 p.m. ET, adding that approximately 900 mainline and regional flights have been cancelled on Sunday due to the outage and 48 flights have diverted to alternate airports, including Charlotte and Nashville, among others.

Delta expects to operate a near-full schedule on Monday in Atlanta depending on when the airport’s power is fully restored.

The second largest carrier in Atlanta, Southwest Airlines, says that all inbound and outbound domestic flights are canceled through Sunday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Southeast division added on Twitter, “Due to #PowerOutage at @ATLairport diversion plan for International arriving flights continues. This means diverted International flights will land at other airports.”

Georgia Power said in a statement that they expect the power to be back on at the airport by midnight Sunday while also adding some reasoning for the outage. “Georgia Power believes the issue may have involved a fire which caused extensive damage in a Georgia Power underground electrical facility. The fire was safely extinguished by fire crews before Georgia Power could enter the area to assess damage and begin repairs.”

“No personnel or passengers were in danger at any time,” the statement continued.

This story was updated at 8:00 p.m. ET.

AirlineGeeks.com’s Ashley Magoon and Ryan Ewing contributed to this report.

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