Power outage at Austin airport leads to flight delays

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An early morning power outage Wednesday at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport caused flight delays and cancellations that continued even after electricity was restored.

The airport reported it lost power shortly before 5 a.m., and soon after said flights had been stopped. The lights were back on by 8 a.m., but airport officials told passengers that flights would be delayed.

The airport shut down roads leading to the airport, which led to traffic backups on a nearby freeway. Austin police asked people to stay in their vehicles until the roads reopened.

Transportation Security Administration checkpoints were open shortly after 8 a.m., but flight delays continued.

Austin Energy said in a statement that the outage was caused by malfunctioning underground equipment that has since been repaired, and a crew is reviewing what happened in the hope of avoiding a repeat.

Airport officials recommended that travelers check with their airlines for any changes in their flight status.