Kennedy Airport fixes power outage that canceled flights

NEW YORK >> Work crews have fixed a power outage at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport that forced some flights to be canceled or diverted, officials said Saturday.

Repairs were made overnight and full power was restored in Terminal 1, which handles some of the airport’s international flights, said the airport’s operator, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The outage began Thursday when an electrical panel failure caused a small fire, authorities said. Dozens of flights were canceled and some were diverted to other airports. An Air New Zealand flight was forced to return to Auckland after flying two-thirds of the way across the Pacific Ocean, resulting in a 16-hour trip that ended where it began.

“I thought it was a bad Ambien dream,” said passenger Rosemary Armao, an adjunct journalism professor who was sleeping when her friend awoke her to say the plane was heading back to Auckland.

Although full power was restored to Terminal 1, flight activity was limited Saturday morning, the Port Authority said. Terminal 1 was open for 26 of the scheduled 64 arrivals and departures originally scheduled for Saturday, while 18 flights were to be handled at other terminals and 10 were canceled, officials said.

“Concessions will be operating with reduced menu options as activity resumes in Terminal 1 and the private terminal operator will have additional customer service staff in place to assist passengers,” the Port Authority said in a statement.

“Customers are encouraged to continue to check with their carriers for the latest flight information. All other terminals at JFK are operating normally,” it said.

Officials said safety and security systems were fully functional and other building systems were being tested and brought back online.