Power Restored at BWI-Marshall After Morning Outage Sparks Delays

LINTHICUM, Md. — Power has been fully restored at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport following a significant power outage that impacted operations for several hours on Monday morning.

The outage began around 8:30 a.m., affecting lights throughout the terminal and halting elevators, escalators, and moving walkways. As a result, many confused passengers struggled to navigate between floors, leading to long lines at security checkpoints and ticket counters.

Airport officials reported that despite the outage, flights continued to operate, albeit with significant delays. By noon, over 160 flights had been delayed and 52 canceled, according to FlightAware. Travelers were advised to check with their airlines for updates on flight statuses.

Honey Book, a traveler from Owings Mills, recounted her experience after learning about the outage on her way to the airport. “I thought, ‘Wow, that’s really crazy,’” she said. “You just have to do what you got to do and have a good attitude because there’s nothing you can do to change it.”

Numerous passengers waiting for their flights shared videos showing airline staff using air stairs to deplane travelers from grounded planes on the tarmac. “Everybody was pretty patient. Not a big deal, a little inconvenient,” noted traveler India Houston. “The pilot was very informative. He let us know what was happening, and it was beyond their control.”

Louis Persico of Catonsville described his experience of being stuck on a plane for two hours while waiting for the power to be restored. “I was waiting at my gate when the power went out. They asked for 10 minutes to reboot the computers. After we boarded, we started receiving text messages about further delays,” he explained.

Airport personnel worked throughout the morning to restore power safely and quickly. By approximately 11:15 a.m., officials reported that full power had been restored and security screening operations resumed at multiple checkpoints, including those for Southwest Airlines, which handles a significant portion of traffic at the airport.

Elvita Hunt, a traveler, expressed her thoughts on the unexpected nature of the incident. “I think this is what you call ‘unexpected.’ No matter how you prepare, something unexpected is going to come, and you don’t know when or how it’s going to take place,” she stated.

Stephanie Weaver, a spokesperson for Baltimore Gas and Electric, confirmed that the outage was caused by a downed power line in the area. The Anne Arundel Fire Department was on site to ensure that there were no fires resulting from the incident.

As of a 9:30 a.m. update, many inbound flights were being diverted, and the airport management distributed water to affected customers while waiting for power restoration. Despite the challenges, travelers were generally understanding of the situation, with many documenting their experiences via social media.