A power outage at Stansted International Airport in London held up holiday travel Monday afternoon, adding some extra misery to an already busy travel week.
The power outage lasted about two hours. Photos uploaded by holiday travelers show massive queues, although the outage affected only parts of the airport.
A power failure is currently affecting certain parts of @STN_Airport. The main terminal building and runway are unaffected (1/2)
— Stansted Airport (@STN_Airport) December 22, 2014
Satellite failure at stansted airport - no planes landing or departing... Things surprisingly calm so far...
— Fiona Kelly (@fizzlekelly) December 22, 2014
The power outage is affecting the transit system that gets travelers to their airplanes, according to the airport.
Stansted is located about 40 miles north of London's center; the terminal most affected is Ryanair.
Power outage at London Stansted, great day for it :/
— Kenneth Barrett (@kennbarr) December 22, 2014
#poweroutage #stanstedairport #Stansted pic.twitter.com/NBX8Y98EPp
— Justyna Miszkiewicz (@bioanth_pal) December 22, 2014
power failure at stansted airport no planes going in or out :( #stansted pic.twitter.com/Q8FFsT2ITu
— Lena (@lenanix) December 22, 2014
Lights still on in main #Stansted terminal but #RyanAir wing dark. Staff trying to get people out but connecting doors now appear jammed
— Leigh Holmwood (@LeighHolmwood) December 22, 2014
Udajne velky vypadek proudu na londynskem letisti #Stansted. Nefunguje, zda se, vubec nic. Minimum informaci. Zmatek. pic.twitter.com/Bf2l5KcxJQ
— Jiří Hošek (@hosekj) December 22, 2014
The scene at Stansted Airport with no flights currently going in or out due to a power failure. Merry Xmas everyone! pic.twitter.com/1LFnD6Onzr
— Jennie Thomas (@localgovlove) December 22, 2014
Planes on the tarmac were also affected, as passengers had to wait because of the outage. The airport was dispatching buses to take passengers back and forth.
Can't get off the plane. Actually it's not Ryanair's fault. It's Stansted's. Apparently there's a power cut....
— Jackzelia Banks (@JackieRue) December 22, 2014
Standing stranded in Stansted #punny #sorrynotsorry
— Johnathan Mei (@jonomei) December 22, 2014
The airport reported that crews had restored power at about 5:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. EST).
Power has now been restored. Flights continue to operate but are subject to delay. We apologise to all passengers delayed this afternoon
— Stansted Airport (@STN_Airport) December 22, 2014
While much smaller than Heathrow or Gatwick airports in London, Stansted had its busiest November in eight years last month with more than 1.5 million passengers.
Stansted Airport reported that there were some delays, but flights are operating. FlightAware was not reporting a large number of delays in the early afternoon.
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