Normal operations resume at TPA after TECO makes critical overnight electrical repairs at Airside F

FRIDAY UPDATE: A critical overnight TECO repair to damaged electrical equipment at Airside F was successful, and full power was restored at 1 a.m. Friday morning. TPA expects normal operations to resume throughout the Airport. 

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A scheduled outage at Tampa International Airport will temporarily cut off primary power overnight to one of four terminals - Airside F - beginning Thursday evening to make critical electrical repairs following a power outage across the campus Wednesday night. 

According to TECO, a storm-related event damaged underground electrical equipment, causing catastrophic failures to primary power sources and redundant equipment. In the process of making repairs, the power company discovered an issue with cabling and a switchgear that requires further and immediate attention. This work is crucial to make permanent repairs and restore Airside F to full operational strength.

To complete this urgent work, TECO has scheduled a power cutoff tonight for Airside F ONLY, with work beginning at 6 p.m. and power returning by approximately 3 a.m. During this period, Airside F will operate on generator power, offering limited services. As a result, a number of flights have been relocated to other airsides. Operations will continue as normal and passenger impacts will be minimal.

“Tampa Electric has redundancies in place, which are designed to provide an alternative power feed during outage events,” said TECO Account Manager Drew Sirianni. “However, despite our robust measures, we encountered a breakdown in the redundancies, specifically affecting Airside A and Airside F. Redundancy failures are extremely rare and we are currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine the root cause and prevent future issues.”

“While this unprecedented event posed significant challenges, especially to our travelers, the shutoff and repair work are vital to maintaining continuity of operations and our high standards of service,” said John Tiliacos, Tampa International Airport’s Executive Vice President of Operations and Customers Service. “We apologize for the hardships these issues have caused everyone involved. I am confident TECO, our team and our partners will, as always, pull together to resolve this situation once and for all.”

OUTAGE BACKGROUND: At 9:05 p.m. Wednesday, a sudden power outage affected most of the campus including the Main Terminal, Airsides, shuttles, and SkyConnect train. 

Within minutes, Tampa International Airport leadership activated the Airport’s Emergency Operations Center and had TECO crews on-site investigating the problem within an hour’s time. By 9:45 p.m., power had been restored to most areas, except Airsides A and F. Airside A came back online by 11:30 p.m., and Airside F power was restored by 2:30 a.m.

These issues caused significant disruptions to Airport operations, including dozens of flights that faced unusual wait times to board or deplane, limited use of passenger boarding bridges and inoperable computers. 

 Passengers are urged to continue checking with their airlines for the latest updates on potential flight delays and gate updates.

 Tampa International Airport will continue to pass along the latest updates via our Twitter feed @FlyTPA.