Fire damages to the electrical system of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) caused a power outage on Sunday that grounded more than 1,000 flights in the US.
Serving over 104 million passengers a year on average, the airport has since restored power, but not before diverting international flights, grounding all outgoing flights, and holding arrivals at point of departure.
While the blackout caused delays and cancellations for United Airlines and JetBLue Airways, as well as Southwest Airlines who saw 70 of its departures from Atlanta cancelled, Delta is reportedly the hardest hit airline. Following the power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, the airline cancelled 300 flights on Monday.
Reportedly the busiest airport in the world according to its website, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport caters to over 150 domestic and nearly 70 international destinations. The airport is said to generate an estimated $34.8bn economic impact for metro Atlanta. Averaging roughly 275,000 passengers daily, the airport also records almost 2,500 arrivals and departures daily, according to ATL’s fact sheet.