A power outage that struck the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is likely to leave thousands of passengers stranded as at least 300 Delta Airlines flights were cancelled for Monday.
The major outage occurred at around 1 pm on Sunday, causing all Sunday flights to be grounded. Incoming international traffic was diverted to other locations.
The airport is still open, but only for cargo and general aviation operations. The Federal Aviation Administration is to retain normal staffing at Hartsfield-Jackson control tower.
The outage is believed to have been caused by an electrical fire at a Georgia Power substation just before 1pm on Sunday, as announced by Mayor Kasim Reed, who started off a Sunday night conference with an apology to those inconvenienced:
“First and most importantly, I was to express my sincere apologies to the thousands of passengers whose day has been disrupted in this manner. We certainly understand that the outage has caused frustration and anger, and we’re doing everything that we can to get folks back home right away.”
Several flights were stranded on the tarmac for hours, with passengers waiting as much as three hours or more until they were allowed to get off.
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