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.
The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.
You're a community leader
And we’re honored you look to us for serious, in-depth news. You know a strong community needs local and dedicated watchdog reporting. We’re here for you and that won’t change. Now will you take the powerful next step and support our nonprofit news organization?
