Power Failure Causes Chaos at Belgian Airport

Belgian air traffic ground to a halt on Wednesday, after a power surge took out the main traffic control system. Thousands of passengers at Brussels Airport were affected by the time flights began taking off again in the afternoon. Travelers at the airport described the scene as chaotic. Some passengers were left sitting in their planes on the runway for hours, while others landed in neighboring countries, or missed international connections. Hundreds thronged the hallways of the airport looking for information or new tickets. Hundreds of flights were canceled, and dozens were sent to neighboring airports in Germany, France and the Netherlands. To bring systems back online, Belgocontrol had to completely restart them. However, Brussels Airport announced on Twitter that delays will likely continue to have an impact through Thursday.