A power outage at JFK Airport forced a New Zealand flight to change its itinerary during its eight-hour flight to New York.
International flights in JFK’s Terminal 1 were halted Thursday after a fire caused a major power outage.
Travelers were forced to change terminals and airports or accept that they would have to travel on a different day.
According to Flight Radar, passengers on one Air New Zealand flight were stuck aboard for 16 hours after their plane was diverted back to Auckland due to chaos at JFK.
“Diverting to another US port would have resulted in the aircraft remaining on the ground for several days, affecting a number of other scheduled services and customers,” the airline told CNN.
Passengers will now be required to rebook their flights upon arrival in Auckland.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding,” the airline continued.
An electrical panel failure caused a “small isolated fire overnight that was immediately extinguished,” according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“The terminal’s ability to accept inbound and outbound flights is currently impacted by the power outage.”
According to JFK’s website, international flights arriving Thursday were diverted to other east coast airports, including Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Logan International Airport in Boston, and Washington Dulles International Airport.
“Travelers should check with their carriers for flight status before arriving at the airport,” JFK Airport tweeted late Thursday.
While there has been no official word on when Terminal 1 will reopen to full capacity, JFK Airport announced on Friday that it would remain closed.
“JFK Terminal 1 will remain closed on 2/17 due to electrical issues,” the airport said on Twitter. “Before arriving at the airport, travelers should check with their airlines for flight status.”
Terminal 1 serves as the departure point for 31 international airlines, including Air China, Air France, and Korean Air.
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