Photo by Gabriel C. Pérez/KUT
Austin-Bergstrom airport faces power outage Wednesday morning, delaying flights
Thursday, September 8, 2022 by
Haya Panjwani, KUT Lee esta historia en español.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport experienced a power outage Wednesday morning, delaying numerous flights throughout the rest of the day and prompting airport road closures.
The power went out around 4:30 a.m., according to airport spokesperson Bailey Grimmett. Austin Energy was able to restore power shortly before 8 a.m.
Airport officials say travelers should check for changed flight times and prepare for delays. The outage also delayed arrivals, according to Grimmett, who said some planes were re-routed to San Antonio.
Austin Energy said an equipment malfunction caused the outage. But spokesperson Luis Rivas said the utility doesn’t know what led to the malfunction in the first place.
The outage forced road closures at the airport, causing backups along Highway 71. Roadways to the airport were reopened as of about 9:50 a.m.
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett described the disruption as “truly intolerable.”
“With soaring demand, our airport faces many challenges, but the source of this morning’s horrible chaos appears to have been an external power cut,” said Doggett, D-Austin. “Following its thorough investigation, Austin Energy must act to ensure a fully functional backup system so that this never reoccurs.”
This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT.
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