Things were darker than usual at Frankfurt Airport that night: a rodent had caused a short circuit in a substation. The power went out and the emergency systems started up. But there were no major problems.
At least the involuntary saboteur waited until the night flight ban began: Shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday evening, a dormouse paralyzed the power supply at Frankfurt Airport. The rodent caused a short circuit in the airport center substation, as a spokesman for the responsible energy supplier Syna told hr.
As a result of the biting attack, smoke developed and the power went out. The fire brigade was called. The animal was found dead next to the gnawed cable.
Fraport: Safety was not at risk
According to an airport spokesman, areas A and B in Terminal 1 were affected. Emergency generators that were activated provided at least a weak lighting. The emergency power supplies the safety and operational areas at the airport, such as fire alarm and smoke extraction systems, elevators and cameras.
Given the late hour, there were hardly any problems, said the spokesman. Security at Germany’s largest airport was never at risk. In Frankfurt, no flights take place between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. due to the night flight ban.
1,000 suitcases left behind
At around 3:30 a.m. the situation gradually eased. Although the power supply was not fully restored at first, the systems at the airport were restarted, as the spokesman explained. The first planes were able to take off and land as planned.
However, there was still a risk of delays and individual flight cancellations during the day when checking in at Terminal 1, which is mainly used by Lufthansa. Around 1,000 suitcases that had been left behind on the baggage carousels late in the evening would now be sent on to the passengers, the spokesman said.
Some delays and cancellations
There could be delays and flight cancellations during the day, says a Fraport spokesman. A total of 1,242 flight movements with around 189,000 expected passengers were planned for Tuesday, meaning a lot of activity on a holiday. Eleven cancellations were announced in the morning.
There were also apparently problems around the airport due to a lack of electricity. Two large hotels were affected, among others.
Mice paralyze traffic lights
Rodent attacks most recently led to a traffic light failure at the busy Friedberger Landstrasse/Alleenring intersection in Frankfurt in December 2022. At that time, mice had bitten through the cables and caused a short circuit.
There are also repeated reports of a heavy mouse infestation at Frankfurt Airport. According to airport operator Fraport, around 5,000 mouse traps have been set up in the buildings.
Fraport says it has pest controllers on duty at all times. However, incidents like the current one cannot be completely ruled out, said a spokesman.