Austin-Bergstrom International Airport loses power, canceling flights and frustrating flyers
AUSTIN — Austin-Bergstrom International Airport lost power Wednesday morning, leading to canceled flights and frustrated flyers.
Around 5 a.m., power went out inside the main Barbara Jordan Terminal, which serves tens of thousands of passengers every day. Roads into the airport were being blocked off, causing massive delays and backups on Texas 71.
Around 9 a.m., the airport tweeted that power had been restored and passengers were able to screen passengers. Officials are working with the Austin Police Department to reopen airport roadways.
“Airport roadways are still closed at this time and we will update once they reopen,” a tweet added.
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“We are currently investigating a power outage at the airport. All power lines near the airport are underground,” Austin Energy tweeted around 6 a.m. “
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The alarm was triggered by a water line break outside the building where planes park to load and unload passengers, according to airport spokesperson Sam Haynes.
Before the alarm incident, the airport has been wrestling with crowding issues this year as the facility struggles to accommodate growing demand for travel.
Over the Labor Day weekend, Austin-Bergstrom expected between 27,000 and 33,000 passengers to depart each day, airport spokesperson Bailey Grimmett told the Statesman last week. Anything over 27,000 people is considered a busy day. It was not yet known how many travelers were in the airport on Wednesday.
Contributing: Camille Fine, USA Today