Outage leaves Atlanta’s international airport without power
One of the busiest airports in the world was left without power on Sunday as holiday travel in the U.S. kicks into high gear.
{mosads}Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta confirmed on Twitter that power had been lost in the travel hub, leaving travelers stranded on planes and terminals.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights headed to the airport, while various incoming flights to the airport were diverted, according to a statement from the airport.
Updated information on the ATL power outage. pic.twitter.com/yu0MMsRqZE
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) December 17, 2017
Georgia Power also issued a tweet, saying they were working to determine the cause of the outage.
We’re aware of an issue affecting @ATLairport. Crews in the field are working with the Airport to determine the cause as quickly as possible
— Georgia Power (@GeorgiaPower) December 17, 2017
An editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who was reportedly stuck on one of the planes, said all flights had been canceled by Sunday evening.
All flights were canceled and baggage is being held in a secure area for pickup in the future, Rick Crotts, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor who was stuck on a plane for hours, said.
Crews have reportedly been working to fix the problem at the airport since 1:30 pm.
The Federal Aviation Administration tower kept its power throughout the event, according to NBC News.
However, wifi and cell service were not working fully throughout the airport, according to NBC affiliate WXIA.
275,000 passengers come through the travel hub each day, while 2,500 flights arrive and depart the airport on a daily basis.
The outage comes one week before Christmas Eve.
Over 6 million people are expected to travel via airplane this holiday season, according to AAA.
–This story was updated at 6:43 P.M. EST.
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