The power failure at Gando caused chaos in Canarian air traffic control

23.01.2010 - Just days after the latest industrial action by air traffic controllers caused delays of up to five hours, flights were hit by a glitch in the power system, which is linked to those of all the other airports in the Canaries.

All landings and departures from the islands were suspended for over half an hour and flights bound for the Canaries from elsewhere, including Germany and the UK, were put into a holding pattern while the problem was resolved.  The incident, which affected 350 flights in all in one of the busiest weeks of the year, led to a backlog of delays that was not resolved fully for almost two days.

The Canarian Department of Tourism said the combination of the Gran Canaria control centre power failure and the air traffic controllers’ work to rule had given the Canaries, “a third world image to the holiday world,” and called for assurances that the problems would not be repeated.



This article appears in the print edition 608 of Island Connections

Gallery: Power failure chaos

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