Airport authorities, airlines, and the Metropolitan Energy Authority (MEA) convened yesterday to review the electrical outage that interrupted service at Don Mueang Airport for almost half an hour on Sunday. Following the meeting, the parties announced that a bolt of lightning sparked the blackout.
As reported in the Bangkok Post, the lightning bolt zapped one of two lines that feed power to the airport. MEA rerouted the supply four seconds after the lightning strike, and the airport’s own backup power system kicked in after eight seconds.
So why were travelers delayed for almost 30 minutes? Airport staff had to reopen switches and check systems before they could resume service – all standard operating procedure according to airport general manager Paranee Vatanotai.
Some readers might suspect that the outage was related to the airport’s recent resumption of full services on October 1st. However, Ms. Vatanotai was quick to stress that the airport’s electrical systems had been fully inspected and that oversights were not to blame. Even the MEA praised the airport for their quick response.
Going forward, administrators plan to explore options for maintaining uninterrupted service in the event that lightning strikes twice. Currently the airport’s backup system only provides 30% of the required electricity. Now then, wouldn’t that be a bit of an oversight? Shocking…
