Phuket Airport Power Outage Sparks Investigation

[webfact]

Picture courtesy: Thai Rath

 

Phuket International Airport suffered a temporary power outage yesterday, causing minor disruptions for passengers. The incident was attributed to a fault in the Provincial Electricity Authority’s (PEA) transmission system.

 

On August 6, 2018, around 6:24 p.m., Phuket International Airport experienced a sudden blackout. Social media buzzed with short clips showing both Thai and foreign travellers moving about in the dark, though the scene remained orderly with no signs of panic. Emergency lighting was promptly activated, allowing airport operations to continue at a basic level.

 

Phuket International Airport's official Facebook page later issued a statement explaining the situation. The power failure originated from a 115kV power distribution system controlled by the PEA. The fault in the transmission line caused a widespread outage throughout Thalang District, affecting the airport as well, reported Thai Rath.

 

In response to the blackout, the airport's standby generators immediately kicked in, ensuring that critical systems, including those related to flight operations, remained functional. As a result, there were no significant delays or cancellations impacting aircraft services.

 

By 6:40 p.m., PEA technicians managed to rectify the issue, and normal power supply was restored to the airport by 6:50 p.m. Passengers were able to proceed with their plans without significant delay.

 

The airport authority has assured passengers that further investigations will be carried out to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. It's a reminder that even in the digital age, infrastructure hiccups can still disrupt daily life, but quick responses can mitigate their impact.

 

For now, flights and operations at Phuket International Airport have returned to their regular schedules, much to the relief of travellers and staff alike. The incident underlines the importance of robust backup systems and swift communication in maintaining airport operations amid unforeseen challenges.

 

-- 2024-08-07

 

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[brianthainess]

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

moving about in the dark, though the scene remained orderly with no signs of panic.

Well most would be used to power cuts in Thailand. Seems it was handled well and the emergency systems actually worked.

[JoePai]

Someone lost the Shilling for the meter ?

[watchcat]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The incident was attributed to a fault in the Provincial Electricity Authority’s (PEA) transmission system.

 

Happens in most parts of Thailand when it's windy or raining..... Can they not fix this permanently, it's annoying.

[Homburg]

Power Outage Sparks Investigation

 

Shouldn't that be "no sparks" investigation"?

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In response to the blackout, the airport's standby generators immediately kicked in, ensuring that critical systems, including those related to flight operations, remained functional. As a result, there were no significant delays or cancellations impacting aircraft services

Nuff said... 

[PETERTHEEATER]

Happens often in my area. The PEA men eventually arrive downstreet and replace a big fuse in one of the transmission lines.

In other cases, the first torrential rain of the season causes an outage in a large substation affecting much of the town and suburbs. Whatever it is gets fixed and back online in a few hours.

[KhunBENQ]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

On August 6, 2018, around 6:24 p.m

Some delay in the news

[KhunBENQ]

8 hours ago, watchcat said:

Happens in most parts of Thailand when it's windy or raining..... Can they not fix this permanently, it's annoying.

Should be rare if they lay cables for the low/medium voltage stuff in the ground as happens at the more developed areas. No more transformers hanging on poles etc. No trees tearing down cables...

 

The high voltage lines are should not be that prone to weather conditions.

(the report speaks against as 115 kV is not what is hanging on low poles around the roads)

[KhunBENQ]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

underlines the importance of robust backup systems

No word about the essential flight control systems?

Were the batteries full this time? (some years ago they had a complete blackout at Suvarnabhumi with backup failing)

 

Runway lighting affected?