PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands, March 16, 2015, CNS – A power outage by FORTIS TCI to rectify an urgent situation resulted in moderate flight delays at Providenciales International Airport on Sunday.
The outage occurred at 10:40 a.m. and lasted just under two hours on the busiest day for flight operations.
FORTIS reported that a damaged line in the area was the reason for the power shut down and urgent action had to be taken to mitigate the resultant risk posed. Several services and areas on the island were affected including the country’s main port of entry.
The airport’s backup power supply ensured continued service to the critical areas including the provision of air navigation service, security screening of passengers and baggage, and the universal passenger check-in system.
Following the failure of main power, some airlines, Immigration and the Airport Authority suffered from telecommunication service interruption by service provider, LIME. Together, those unforeseen events resulted in moderate delays.
Airports Authority CEO Mr. John Smith in a statement said “the staff and stakeholders at the airport responded in a manner that exemplifies care for the passengers, our valued customers.” He added “we express our gratitude to the airlines, Customs and Immigration Departments, and the TCHTA for their assistance in reducing the impact of the power outage.”
Operations personnel at the airport immediately activated their contingency plan to minimise the disruption of service, and the impact on the passengers.
The board and management of the Airports Authority has apologised for any inconvenience caused and acknowledge that the flight delays were due to reasons beyond their control.
