Perth Airport closes for two hours after Western Power outage

Air traffic has ground to a halt at Perth Airport after severe storms caused a power outage on Tuesday evening.

Perth Airport announced the news about 5.15pm, warning that a power outage would result in delays for the next two hours.

The airport warned of lengthy delays and apologized to passengers, some of whom are understood to be stranded at other airports because they’re unable to land in Perth.

It said the decision was made based on the advice of Western Power.

“Perth Airport has made the decision to delay all outbound services currently scheduled to depart before 7.30pm,” the statement said.

“All enroute inbound flights will be able to arrive safely. All scheduled flights into Perth which have not yet departed will be delayed until further notice.”

Travelers were warned to expect delays or even canceled flights.

“The safety of everyone who works in or is traveling through our airport remains our highest priority,” the airport said.

“We apologize to our passengers and customers for any inconvenience.”

Western Power crews are on site working to repair the damage.

Western Power says emergency crews are working hard in difficult conditions to restore power across Perth.

“Damaging and destructive winds associated with the front have thrown debris, including tree branches, into the network, damaging equipment and bringing down powerlines,” a spokesperson said.

“Our priority during the storm is responding to reported hazards to ensure the safety of the community and our crews.

“Our network operations team is working to isolate damaged parts of the network and back feed where possible to restore power where it is safe to do so.”