KARACHI: A major power outage at Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) on Thursday evening plunged the entire airport area into darkness, leading to flight delays and disruption.

According to airport officials, the power went out around 5 pm due to a short circuit in the basement area of the airport.

“Around 80 percent of power at the main terminal building has been restored, but the domestic satellite area is still without electricity,” said a spokesperson of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA). While emergency lighting is on, the outage has impacted airport operations.

According to the spokesperson, the area where the short circuit occurred houses major power infrastructure for the airport, located some distance away from the passenger terminals. Teams are working to fully restore power, but the process is expected to take several more hours.

The outage led to long queues and confusion at check-in and immigration counters in the evening. Six international and 20 domestic departures had been cancelled while multiple flights were delayed.

“We apologize for the inconvenience to all passengers. Our teams are working on restoring supply on an urgent basis. Power is likely to be fully restored by 10 pm, the spokesperson added.

The airport has launched an investigation into the sudden failure of the critical power systems. Before heading to the airport, passengers are advised to check with their airlines for updated flight information.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023