JFK airport terminal ‘will remain closed’ after power outage

JFK Terminal 1 will stay closed on Friday after experiencing electrical issues, affecting both flights leaving and landing at the New York City airport.

The airport tweeted late on Thursday that “JFK Terminal 1 will remain closed on 2/17 due to electrical issues as the Port Authority continues working with the terminal’s operator to restore flight operations as quickly as possible. Travelers should check with their carriers for flight status before coming to the airport”.

The outage started on Thursday, with airport officials working to facilitate landing and takeoff for the affected flights at other terminals. Some flights set to land at JFK were sent on to other airports along the East Coast, according to the airport site.

The issues started in the middle of the morning on Thursday at the international terminal when the airport initially posted on social media about a “power disruption”.

“Due to power disruption at Terminal 1, some flights may be arriving and departing from different terminals. Travelers are urged to check with their carriers for flight status,” the airport said after 11am.

Later on Thursday, shortly before 3pm, the airport tweeted that “a power outage at JFK Terminal 1 is impacting the terminal’s ability to accept inbound and outbound flights. We are working to accommodate impacted flights using other terminals. Travelers, please check flight status with your airline before heading to the airport”.

“The power outage was caused by an electrical panel failure, which also caused a small isolated fire overnight that was immediately extinguished,” the airport said in response to a Twitter user.

When another account asked if another terminal would be affected, the airport said that “each passenger terminal here at JFK is non connecting and operate independently. However, we recommend allowing extra time when traveling to the airport”.

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