Miami airport fire disrupts almost 200 flights

[News_Editor]

Miami airport fire disrupts almost 200 flights

2011-03-26 06:37:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- Miami International Airport is dealing with travel problems for the second day as almost 200 flights have been canceled for Friday, following Wednesday night's fire that disrupted the airport's fuel system.

American Airlines, which handles most of Miami's air traffic, announced on Friday that 174 flights were canceled for Friday, while its American Eagle carrier canceled 14.

Airport authorities are still unclear when the airport will return to normal operations or how many flights will continue to be canceled in the upcoming days, but they are expecting their flight schedule to improve by Saturday, the Miami Herald reported.

On Wednesday night, a fire broke out in the airport's southeast side where six fuel tanks hold 8 million gallons of fuel, which is half of the airport's fuel supplies. The fire, which damaged the fueling system and five pumps, could have been caused by an electrical failure, authorities said.

As a result, tanker trucks are being used to fuel aircraft, but this method can take several hours, causing heavy setbacks.

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