Power Outage Strands Thousands at US Airport. 600 Flights Cancelled (cnn.com)

An anonymous reader quotes CNN: A power outage at the world's busiest airport left thousands of passengers stranded in dark terminals and in planes sitting on the tarmac, amid a nationwide ground stop. Incoming and outgoing flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were halted indefinitely as crews worked to restore power, leading to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations. Atlanta is the heart of the US air transport system, and what happens there has the potential to ripple through the country.

More than 600 flights to and from Atlanta have been canceled, including 350 departures, according to Flightradar24... Flights headed to Atlanta are being held on the ground at their departure airport. Inbound flights to Atlanta are being diverted, US Customs and Border Protection said. Departures from the airport are delayed because electronic equipment is not working in the terminals, the FAA said. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Some people stranded in the dark terminals used their cellphones as flashlights, one passenger told CNN. "There were a few emergency lights on, but it was really dark -- felt totally apocalyptic."

Comments

Oddly unprepared

[Anonymous Coward]

It seems odd than an airport is so unprepared for a power outage. I'd have thought they would have enough backup generators to run essential systems. As far as fuel goes, jet fuel would likely run in at least some diesel generators.

Sure you have to divide up the circuits so you can run essential systems, or go around and turn a bunch of stuff off. You'd need emergency lighting 24/7 at minimum and at least all the computers and security equipment.

Sure that level of redundancy is not cheap, but in a national emergency we need air travel to work. Whatever the issue is, it needs fixed.

Re:Oddly unprepared

[Anonymous Coward]

"It seems odd than an airport is so unprepared for a power outage."

Simple solution. The government will prohibit the word 'power-outage' and presto, no problemo.

What happened to backup generators?

[sinij]

What happened to backup generators? You would think that such crucial infrastructure system would have backup generators to run important systems.

Re:What happened to backup generators?

[WankerWeasel]

They certainly have backup power for critical systems like air traffic but remember that an airport is basically a city. 275,000 people a day pass through that airport. The eleven different four-car trains there carry 200,000 people each day. The terminal is 6.8 million square feet. Just to keep some lights on so people don't panic requires a ton of backup power. Providing power for all the baggage handling, runway lights, and all other systems is a HUGE ask. Powering it during normal times likely takes damn near its own power plant. Running it on backup power would an insane requirement.

"Redundant" systems damaged by electrical fire?

[OneAhead]

CNN Reports:

The electrical fire's intensity damaged two substations serving the airport, including the airport's "redundant system" that should have provided backup power, Reed said.

Am I the only one who finds it strange that two supposedly redundant systems are housed under the same roof, or at least so close together that both of them can be damaged by the same fire? At my last employer, we duplicated stuff that is far less critical over 2 buildings located at a good distance from each other...