Updated at 11:22 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Power was restored at Denver International Airport shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, and operations are beginning to get back online, according to a post on X from DIA.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also lifted its full ground stop for flights headed to DIA.
In a post on X, the airport said that the power outage occurred around 9:20 a.m. and impacted the train system.
Millions of passengers are passing through DIA during the spring break rush.
During the power outage, several social media posts from passengers say that their departing flights were delayed and that parts of the airport were dark.
“We were about to pull back from the gate and then found out the power is out. We're stuck now because of the jet bridge,” wrote u/ColoradoDreamin4917 on Reddit.
“Stuck on a plane at a B gate because they can’t retract the jet bridge so we can’t close the door and leave 🙃,” added u/dayvancowb0y.
Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that 353 flights leaving DIA have been delayed and six have been cancelled on Wednesday.
DIA has been wanting an extra power source.
Denver’s airport is among the busiest in the United States, and its rapid expansion is only set to continue.
The airport’s numerous projects could triple the airport’s peak power demand by 2040, according to a recent analysis. That’s led airport officials to begin looking for an in-house solution to their electricity needs.
Last year, DIA CEO Phil Washington announced plans to study the feasibility of building a small modular nuclear reactor at the airport. Those plans were eventually watered down — while it hasn’t completely shut the door on nuclear energy, the airport plans to gather ideas for a broader range of “clean energy solutions”.
Washington said an in-house power source would guard against blackouts that create major international travel disruptions.
The airport’s plan for a clean energy solution isn’t an entirely self-serving idea, however. Both Washington and Mayor Mike Johnston have discussed the possibility of leasing airport land to private developers, including data centers, which require vast amounts of electricity to operate.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misstated the day of the week the outage happened.
