According to the Australian network reported on March 29, on the morning of the 29th local time, smoke was found in the air traffic control tower of Sydney Airport, and after the firefighters evacuated the staff in the tower, Sydney Airport was also completely grounded, and passengers were stranded at the airport. At 12.30 p.m., planes entering the airport were allowed to land, and all work at the airport began to return to normal, but flights were still delayed. After investigation by the fire agency, the smoke was generated due to overheating of the computer battery system.
The airport was completely grounded for nearly 1 hour
According to reports, NSW Fire Rescue Supervisor Bryce Jonas said: "Before 12pm on the 29th, we received an alarm that there was a bad smell of electrical burnt in the sydney airport air traffic control tower, and asked the firefighters to go. ”
Around 11:40 a.m., about 20 staff members in the tower were evacuated, and firefighters from the air services australia (asa) and NSW fire and rescue agencies quickly went to the scene of the incident. An ASA spokesperson said: "The airport has been completely grounded, which means there will be no aircraft taking off or landing. ”
Flight maps show dozens of planes stranded on the tarmac at Sydney Airport, while another aircraft location map shows some aircraft forced to circle over the coast of NSW.
After 50 minutes, firefighters allowed staff to return to the tower. Meanwhile, Victorian air traffic controllers have been assisting Sydney Airport and assisting with the landing of some flights.
Passengers' flights were delayed
An ASA spokesperson said: "The aviation network will continue to be affected, but we are doing our best to facilitate our passengers. Passengers are advised to contact the airline for more details about their flight. ASA will also provide further information on the cause of the incident in the afternoon. ”
A Sydney Airport spokesperson also said: "Domestic flights will face delays of up to 60 minutes, while international flights will face delays of 80 minutes. ”
Airlines are notifying passengers of flight delays, and hundreds of people are still stranded on the tarmac waiting for the plane to take off. Among them, a passenger preparing to fly to Los Angeles said: "I saw the fire truck through the window of the plane. Virgin decided to use the hold-up time to refuel the plane and accelerate as soon as it was able to take off. Many of the passengers inside the plane were already irritable, and the children were crying. ”
Former Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, who was also one of the stranded passengers, said: "The crew has just announced that the air traffic control tower personnel at Sydney Airport have been evacuated and our flight is ready to take off for Bali. ”
The battery system overheats to produce fumes
As for the cause of the evacuation, Jonas said: "The smoke was generated due to overheating of the computer backup battery system, spreading out through the air conditioner, which triggered the fire alarm, which a skilled worker is already working on." ”
It is understood that according to a new ranking released by Skytrax, Sydney Airport fell one place in the global airport rankings and was overtaken by Brisbane Airport, losing the title of Best Airport in Australia.
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