Chaos in Frankfurt

Rodent causes power outage at airport

(Bild: AFP)

A rodent - apparently a dormouse - has paralyzed large parts of the power supply at Germany's largest airport in Frankfurt for hours. It caused a short circuit in a substation at around 10.45 p.m. on Monday evening, according to the energy company Syna. As a result, the power went out and smoke developed, prompting the airport fire department to arrive. It was not until around 03:21 a.m. that the grid was supplied with electricity again after switching over.

According to the operator Fraport, the consequences for air traffic were limited because the short circuit occurred shortly before the start of the night flight ban and was rectified in good time before traffic resumed. Delays and flight cancellations could still occur during the course of the day, said a spokesperson.

Hundreds of suitcases were left at the airport
1242 flight movements were planned with around 189,000 passengers expected, meaning a busy day on a vacation. In the morning, eleven cancellations were announced. Around 1000 suitcases had been left in the terminal in the evening and were now being forwarded to the passengers.

A dormouse is said to be the cause of the power failure. (symbolic image)

(Bild: Claudia Bieber/Vedmeduni Wien)

Failures at check-in machines possible
Area A and partly also B in Terminal 1 of the airport were affected by the power failure. This sector is primarily used by Lufthansa. The Fraport spokesperson said that the Austrian Airlines parent company could still experience outages at the check-in machines, meaning that some baggage would have to be cleared manually. The emergency power supply for the security-relevant systems had been activated. Security at Germany's largest airport was not at risk at any time.