The power went out at Frankfurt Airport for several hours during the night. The consequences for air traffic are manageable, but the cause is also difficult to avoid.
A rodent has paralyzed large parts of the power supply at Frankfurt Airport for hours. The dormouse caused a short circuit in a medium-voltage substation at around 10:45 p.m. on Monday evening, as the energy company Syna reports.
As a result, the power went out and the airport fire brigade was called out because of the smoke that was developing. The power supply was not restored until around 3:21 a.m. after switching over. The animal was found dead next to the gnawed cable.
According to the operator Fraport, the consequences for air traffic were limited because the short circuit occurred shortly before the night flight ban began and was repaired in time before traffic resumed. There could still be delays and flight cancellations during the day, says a spokesman. 1,242 flight movements with around 189,000 expected passengers are planned, which is a busy day on a holiday. Eleven cancellations were announced in the morning.
According to Fraport, around 1,000 suitcases were left in the terminal that evening and are now being sent to the passengers. The emergency power supply for the security-relevant systems has been activated. Security at Germany’s largest airport was never at risk.
Area A and partly also B in Terminal 1 of the airport were affected by the power outage. This sector is mainly used by Lufthansa. The airline said it had no problems processing guests that morning.
Fraport says it has pest controllers on duty at all times. However, incidents like the current one cannot be completely ruled out, said a spokesman. The power grid is one of the best available systems in Germany, according to the company. The electricity comes from two independent suppliers and is brought to a medium voltage of 10 kilovolts in six substations.
Source: Stern
