JFK Airport power outage forces 16-hour flight from New Zealand to make U-turn

A power outage at JFK Airport forced a New Zealand flight to divert its travel plans during its eight-hour journey to the Big Apple.

International flights in JFK’s Terminal 1 were brought to a standstill Thursday when a fire caused a major power disruption.

Travelers were required to travel to alternate terminals and airports or come to terms with having to travel on a different day.

On one Air New Zealand flight, passengers were stuck aboard the aircraft for 16 hours after their plane was sent back to Auckland due to chaos at JFK, according to Flight Radar.

“Diverting to another US port would have meant the aircraft would remain on the ground for several days, impacting a number of other scheduled services and customers,” the airline told CNN.

Passengers will now have to go through a rebooking process upon arrival in Auckland.

“We apologize for the inconvenience and thank our customers for their patience and understanding,” the airline added.

An electrical panel failure resulted in a “small isolated fire overnight that was immediately extinguished,” the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.

“The power outage is currently impacting the terminal’s ability to accept inbound and outbound flights.”

International flights arriving Thursday were diverted to other airports on the east coast, including Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Boston’s Logan International Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport, according to JFK’s website.

“Travelers should check with their carriers for flight status before coming to the airport,” JFK Airport tweeted Thursday night. 

While there’s been no official word over when Terminal 1 will reopen to its full capacity yet, JFK Airport announced Terminal 1 would remain closed on Friday.

“JFK Terminal 1 will remain closed on 2/17 due to electrical issues as the Port Authority continues working with the terminal’s operator to restore flight operations as quickly as possible,” the airport said on Twitter. “Travelers should check with their carriers for flight status before coming to the airport.”

Along with Air New Zealand, Terminal 1 is the departure terminal of 31 international airlines including Air China, Air France, and Korean Air.

The Post has reached out to JFK Airport for further comment.

With Post wires