Frankfurt airport was hit by a power cut on Monday evening, leaving runways and terminal buildings in darkness and stopping all air traffic at continental Europe's busiest hub, an airport official said. An official at Frankfurt's municipal utility said the blackout, which lasted from 1813 GMT to 1824 GMT, was caused by a fault at a local transformer station. The airport official said safety had not been put at risk at any time because air traffic control centers operated on separate electric circuits. A spokeswoman for Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa, based at Frankfurt airport, said incoming traffic had to be held in the air during the blackout and air traffic controllers were trying to avoid diverting planes to other airports. "There are delays, but things are getting back to normal at the moment," the spokeswoman said. She added that no flights had been canceled. Frankfurt airport is operated by Fraport AG.
