Massive Power Outage at Atlanta's International Airport Halts Flights

Jennifer Calfas
Updated
A power outage resulted in flight suspensions and more.

The busiest airport in the world, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reported a massive power outage Sunday that stunted air traffic and left passengers stranded.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for Atlanta-bound flights, which means incoming flights were grounded at their departure airports as a result of the power outage, a FAA spokesperson told Travel + Leisure. The airport also suspended outgoing flights, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said incoming international flights were ordered to land at different airports.

Departures from the airport were delayed as well since “airport equipment in the terminals is not working,” a FAA spokesperson said. The FAA Tower was operating “normally,” officials said.

The power outage “impacted several areas of the airport,” according to the airport’s Twitter account.

The power outage occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday and continued into the early evening.

A spokesperson for the airport did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

It is unclear what caused the power outage. Georgia Power said it was investigating the situation and will share updates on the outage as they become available. The airport said a report that a construction crew cut the power line was not confirmed.

Images posted on social media showed awaiting passengers sitting on the floor of the airport waiting for updates, and others shared by local news outlets showed darkened passage ways in terminals due to the power outage. A reporter from 11Alive, the WXIA-TV, Atlanta-based television station, was at the airport during the power outage and said the outage limited data service and impacted cell phone signals.

The Atlanta airport is an international hub that sends aircrafts to 150 domestic destinations and more than 75 international ones. An average of 275,000 passengers travel through the airport each day, according to the airport’s website.