Simple Flying
Paul Hartley
19 May 2025
Houston Hobby Airport suffered a significant power outage on Sunday at the airport's air traffic control (ATC) tower. The FAA reported that the ATC tower was without main grid power for approximately an hour, leading to extensive delays and cancellations at the airport.
The power outage occurred within the broader context of the FAA facing significant challenges on multiple fronts, such as ATC staff shortages across the country, as well as aging and failing ATC equipment. The most high-profile have been the challenges at Newark Liberty International Airport, where three separate system outages in the past month have led to chaotic scenes at the airport on a nearly daily basis.
The power outage occurred on Sunday at about 13:15 local time, and was restricted to the ATC tower. Passengers and workers elsewhere across the airfield were not impacted. Fortunately, Houston Hobby's backup generators kicked in immediately and were able to power the tower for the next hour until main grid power was restored at 2:15pm.
Read on: Houston Hobby ATC Tower Power Outage Prompts FAA Investigation
