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.
POWER UPDATE: @austinenergy has restored power to the terminal. TSA has begun screening passengers and we are working with APD to reopen airport roadways.
Please check your flight status before heading out to the airport as delays continue to be expected. pic.twitter.com/WNSYe5XADw
— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) (@AUStinAirport) September 7, 2022
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.
The roadways are now open and the ground stop which halted all flights has been lifted. Please continue to check your flight status with your airline this morning & through today.
— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) (@AUStinAirport) September 7, 2022
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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