Power Outage Snarls Traffic at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Travelers through Northern Europe faced major delays Sunday morning as a massive power outage in Amsterdam caused the temporary closure of the city’s busy Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, air traffic throughout much of the region.

The outage, which occurred around 1 a.m. local time reportedly affected 18,000 households throughout the city, as well as the busy airport. Power was quickly restored to the facility, but not before crippling the facility’s check-in systems.

The technical failure led to long lines and lots of questions as the airport canceled some outbound flights and put a hold on arriving flights.

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Just after 5 a.m., Schiphol advised passengers to leave the airport and announced it was blocking access roads and halting inbound train service. It also announced inbound flights were being held until at least 9 a.m.

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Long wait times for those driving to the airport caused some passengers to walk there instead.

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By 6:30 a.m., the airport announced that its check-in systems had again become fully operational, and that it was re-opening to the public. Delays continued throughout the morning, causing the airport to announce it would be dealing with the “aftermath” of the power outage for most of the day.

“For the time being, everything is focused on getting as many travelers as possible on their place of destination,” said the airport’s Twitter account.

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Meanwhile, passengers are being encouraged to check with their airlines about re-booking options.

A note at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ website read:

“Severe flight disruptions due to a power outage at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

The outage has led to flight cancellations, delays and disrupted flight schedules… If you do not have a rebooking yet, please do not come to the airport as queues and waiting times are exceptionally long.

Power outages have increasingly become the source of massive airport shutdowns, as was the case at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport last December, which cost Detta Air Lines nearly $50 million in delayed and canceled traffic.

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