NEW YORK – A nightmare for international travelers unfolded at JFK Airport starting Thursday and lasting a second day on Friday, with all inbound and outbound flights at the New York City Center International Terminal halted, at less during the rest of the day.
“JFK Terminal 1 will remain closed on February 17 due to electrical issues as the Port Authority continues to work with the terminal operator to restore flight operations as quickly as possible. Travelers should check with their carriers flight status before arriving at the airport,” the airport wrote on Twitter on Friday.
The problem began around mid-morning Thursday, when JFK Airport first tweeted a “power outage” that caused changes to the departures and arrivals hall. four hours later recognized that the problem at Terminal 1which serves more than a dozen international airlines and accounts for 8.5% of the airport’s total gates, was intensifying.
The outage was expected to be resolved by early to mid-morning Friday, but JFK Airport tweeted just before midnight that the terminal would be closed for the rest of the day. There was no update on when it might reopen.
According to the Port Authority, “an electrical panel failure, which also caused a small isolated fire overnight which was immediately extinguished,” triggered the power issue. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines.
Meanwhile, passengers stranded in the terminal say they don’t know where to go next.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, nobody knows about the situation, or so it seems,” said frustrated passenger Anthony Russo, who was hoping to make it to London. “I had a lot planned, I was going to see friends, and now I don’t know what’s going on.”
JFK Terminal 1 is served by Aeroflot, Aero Mexico, Air China, Air France, AirPlus Comet, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Cayman Airways, China Airlines, China Eastern, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Olympic, Royal Air Maroc, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Turco.
On Thursday evening, airlines were handwriting their flight cancellations because the large electronic whiteboard was still out. They distributed leaflets to passengers. One from Lufthansa began: “Unfortunately your flight has been cancelled.”
Some travelers have said their delayed flights won’t take off for days, threatening their travel plans or forcing them to cancel altogether. It’s the latest issue to wreak havoc at JFK, though two recent issues have involved air traffic control.