Fire leaves airport powerless

28 October 2015 - 02:29 By Jerome Cornelius

Commuters took it in their stride yesterday when flights in and out of Cape Town International Airport were delayed after a fire at a nearby Eskom substation. The airport was off the grid for a good part of the day after the incident at about 11am, which plunged the precinct into darkness.Airports Company South Africa spokesman Deidre Davids said electricity was restored late in the afternoon, while the airport ran on "essential back-up power which allows for only core systems to operate".But it was business as usual for the airport."Not all flights were affected but some were delayed by between 15 and 30 minutes. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this power failure," said Davids.Eskom provincial spokeswoman Jolene Henn said a technical investigation was under way to determine the cause of the fire.She said the fire caused electricity interruptions in surrounding areas of Nyanga, Pick n Pay (Storage), Bishop Lavis, Heilbot and Airport Industria.At 4.15pm supply to all affected areas was restored.The airport kept commuters informed through Twitter...

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