Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Christopher Yaluma says Kenneth Kaunda International Airport did not experience a total power blackout as reported in the media recently.
Yaluma said this in a ministerial statement in view of a Point of Order raised by UPND Monze MP Jack Mwiimbu that the airport lost power supply for more than 12 hours on November 5, 2012.
Mr Yaluma said on the said date, Zesco power supply at the airport developed a fault and the airport standby generator automatically supplied power to the entire airport.
“This therefore meant that operations at the airports continued normally despite the Zesco fault,” he said.
He told parliament that the power interruption at the airport lasted 1.07 minutes and during that period,Kenya airways and South African airways check-in processes were partially affected and the airlines were delayed by 20 and 29 minutes respectively.
He said in the period the main generator was off, the smaller one supplied power to entail areas constituting the runaway lighting, taxiway lighting, apron flood lighting, control tower communication equipment and air navigation equipment that operated without interruption.