Brussels Airport downed by power cut, 23,000 passengers stranded
A power outage at Brussels Airport in Zaventem yesterday grounded all flights in and out for four hours, and problems are expected to last for “several days”
Delays continue today
The incident took place during a routine test of emergency generators at 9.45 yesterday morning. Both the normal system and the emergency system collapsed in the ATC centre CANAC2 in Steenokkerzeel. The airspace was partly opened again at about 14.00, with a new emergency generator providing 20% of capacity.
By Wednesday evening another generator was on-stream, bringing capacity up to 75% – a situation that will continue for “several days,” according to a Belgocontrol spokesperson. A Brussels Airport spokesperson warned that passengers would feel the effects. “Delays of one to two hours are possible throughout the day,” said Nathalie Van Impe. Cancellations are also possible.
The military stepped in yesterday to help resolve the immediate crisis. Aside from Belgocontrol which governs Belgian airspace, and Eurocontrol for airspace above 7,000 feet, the defence ministry also has ATC facilities to handle military and other flights crossing Belgian airspace. The military radar at Gavere in East Flanders is regularly used by Belgocontrol.
When the power outage occurred, a defence spokesperson explained, thousands of aircraft were in the airspace, and the military stepped in to “deconflict” the skies and prevent accidents. Later, incoming flights were re-routed and departing flights were grounded.
This morning, some 400 stranded passengers woke up from an uncomfortable night spent in the airport on cots provided by the Red Cross. “We’re trying to make the best of it,” said one man interviewed by VTM News. “You can’t do anything else. And this is also all-inclusive,” he joked.
Airlines serving Brussels Airport said they were “bewildered” at the effects of “a relatively normal, manageable problem” like a power cut. “A thorough investigation is needed urgently because this cannot be allowed to happen again, that much is obvious,” said Dieter Bruneel, chair of the Airline Operators Committee of Brussels Airport.
Mobility minister Jacqueline Galant has called for a report on the causes of the incident. “I expect a reasonable explanation of the situation, why it took so long to fix and what can be done to prevent such a thing happening again,” she told VTM.
Photo: Demotix Live News/Corbis
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