National News

Power failure hits Haneda airport

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport suggested Aug. 3 that breaker replacement work caused a power failure in the air traffic control tower at Tokyo's Haneda airport Aug. 2.

The two electric power sources for the air traffic control system switched to emergency battery power about the same time the breaker replacement work was finished.

Moreover, airport employees did not know about the switch as the construction workers did not report it. The battery then drained, which caused a power failure.

Teiji Iwasaki, chief of the transport ministry's Civil Aviation Bureau, apologized, saying the replacement work process and reporting system contain "flaws."

The power failure shut down the air traffic control tower's operating system radar, computers and radios, forcing the airport to stop operations for about an hour.

A total of 49 flights were canceled, 19 flights were rerouted and 429 were delayed for more than 30 minutes, affecting nearly 100,000 people. (Kyodo, The Japan Times)

Shukan ST: Aug. 12, 2005

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