At least 17 flights delayed or canceled at OIA after FAA grounds flights at Atlanta airport

ORLANDO, Fla. — A power outage at the world's busiest airport has left thousands of travelers stranded and hundreds of planes at a standstill right before the rush of holiday travel.

At least 17 flights to or from OIA have been delayed or canceled as part of the ground stop, according to FlightAware.

WFTV has learned major airlines JetBlue, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest and American Airlines have canceled all flights for the remainder of the day. An official with American Airlines said evacuations are underway at the airport.

The outage was reported at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Nearly six hours later, Georgia Power said the outage may have been caused by fire in an underground facility.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed tweeted around 7:30 p.m. that the power in Concourse F has been restored.

Georgia Power expects all electricity to be restored by midnight.

Police evacuating travelers from airport

Officials with the Atlanta Police Department said they are asking people to stay away from the airport because they are evacuating travelers.

Exits to the airport were initially shut down, but police are now allowing drivers to pick up passengers downstairs. Atlanta police, Clayton County police and Georgia State Patrol are all on scene directing traffic.

[TRAFFIC ALERT: Exit from interstate to Hartsfield-Jackson airport now shut down. Drivers being advised to take MARTA to another station and pick them up there]

FAA orders ground stop, hundreds of flights canceled

The FAA ordered a ground stop on all flights headed to the airport due to the power outage. International flights into Atlanta are being diverted to other airports.

WFTV has learned major airlines JetBlue, Delta Airlines, United Airlines,

Southwest and American Airlines have canceled all flights for the remainder of the day.

Delta Air Lines' official Twitter account tweeted "flight disruptions are expected as a result and customers are encouraged to check the status of their flight."

Due to the power outage, more than 450 Delta mainline and regional flights have been canceled. Delta is working to deplane customers from aircraft that have not been able to park at a gate due to the outage.

A travel waiver has been issued for Delta customers flying to, from or through Atlanta allowing customers to make one-time changes to their travel plans. To learn more, click here.

Extra patrols on hand directing traffic

Extra patrols from the Atlanta Police Department are on hand to deal with the crowds. Gov. Nathan Deal also sent two Initial Response Teams comprised of 24 Georgia Department of Public Safety troopers to assist.

WFTV has also learned Atlanta Fire units are on standby.

Passengers stranded for hours

Cumming resident Katie Mull was stuck on her Delta flight for more than four hours. She was then stuck at the airport.

"We were so excited to leave the airplane finally and then they routed us to concourse S and once we got there, it was pitch black," Mull said by phone. "Security stopped us and told us we could no longer move due to the fact that the tunnels were so dark."

Mull said they began taking groups of fifty through the concourses led by flashlights. Mull said the mood was mostly calm inside the airport until there was reports of smoke and an electrical fire. She said travelers were frustrated because they didn't feel a plan was in place to get them out safely.

MARTA not impacted by outage

MARTA said the airport outage is not affecting its service. In a news release, officials said trains are running and the breeze system is operating.

MARTA also said its College Park station parking lot is filling up with airport staff coming in to help and MARTA police are offering assistance to security at the airport.

Cox Media Group