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Mon. 12:35 p.m.: Power fully restored at Atlanta’s international airport

Passengers wait for the lights to come back on at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. Authorities say a power outage at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has disrupted ingoing and outgoing flights. Airport spokesman Reese McCraine says the outage occurred early Sunday afternoon. He says all airport operations are being affected and that outgoing flights were halted. (Steve Schaefer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

ATLANTA (AP) — Minutes after its midnight deadline to get the electricity back on at the world’s busiest airport, Georgia Power announced early today that power had been fully restored to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, where more than 1,000 flights were grounded just days before the start of the Christmas travel rush.

A sudden power outage caused by a fire in an underground electrical facility brought the airport to a standstill.

Georgia Power said on its Twitter page that “Power has been restored on all concourses. 5,000+ meals are being delivered to passengers. Trains will be operational soon.”

Passengers at the airport were left in the dark when the lights went out at around 1 p.m. The outage halted all outgoing flights, and arriving planes were held on the ground at their point of departure. International flights were being diverted, officials said.

Mayor Kasim Reed tweeted Sunday night that all passengers had been safely deplaned.

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