Chaos as Brisbane Airport loses power

Source: The Courier-Mail

POWER has been restored to Brisbane Airport.

An Energex spokeswoman said the problem at the Myrtletown substation was rectified about 9.30am Thursday after a fire alarm alerted technicians to the problem just after 8am.

The disruption caused some inconvenience to travellers at Brisbane Airport, with x-ray machines momentarily shutting down, baggage belts stalling and information display screens blacking out.

A Brisbane Airport Corporation spokeswoman said back-up generators provided enough power for essential supplies and there was virtually no disruption to flights. .

Earlier, the power outage created chaos among passengers and staff.

The problem occurred just after 8am, when baggage scanners in the security area suddenly shut down.

The back up supply kicked in immediately but some issues remain, including the unavailability of departure and arrival information screens, which were either blank or flashing.

A Brisbane Airport Corporation spokeswoman said the airport was able to operate as normal with all "essential power" available.

She said the cause for the outage was unknown at this stage.

An Energex spokeswoman said 187 households and businesses remained without power at Pinkenba, in the airport precinct and investigations into the problem were underway.

Frequent flyer Darren, said he was half way through the x-ray machine when the power failed about 8.10am.

"One bag came through and my jacket got stuck in the other one," he said.

"The Qantas club is on emergency lighting, the toilets are in almost complete darkness and none of the lights above the gates are working.

"It's lucky it's not at night. It's pretty chaotic here."

Despite the power problem, flights are departing and landing with minimal disruption.

A fire alarm was triggered at the Myrtletown substation at Pinkenba, causing the outage but investigations found there to be no fire, said the Energex spokeswoman.

"We're working with our major customers to restore power as soon as possible," she said.

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