BOSTON — Thousands of passengers traveling across the country were affected by the sudden power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday afternoon.
Dozens passengers at Boston's Logan Airport felt the effects of the sudden halt on travel plans that happened around 1 p.m.
Atlanta is the heart of the US air transport system, so the impact on airlines across the board just days before the start of the Christmas travel rush was massive.
This afternoon's sudden outage in Atlanta made for some scary and uncertain moments. The blackout cut out power in the terminals, leaving passengers in the dark as they stood in line at gates and security checkpoints.
A number of passengers were also left sitting on planes on the tarmac for hours.
According to a statement issued by Georgia Power, a fire caused extensive damage in an underground electrical facility is to blame for the blackout, but investigators are still working to pinpoint what exactly caused that fire.
Flights that were supposed to be coming and going from Boston's Logan Airport to Atlanta were halted and bags that were supposed to be heading to Atlanta were left stranded.
Southwest, American, and United Airlines canceled operations in and out of Atlanta for the rest of Sunday.
More than 900 Delta mainline and regional flights have been canceled and nearly 50 flights were diverted to other airports.
As of 10 p.m., Atlanta airport officials say the power has been restored to at least one concourse. Officials are anticipating that power to the entire airport will be restored in about two hours.
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