Four flights had to be diverted and one cancelled because of the power cut. The short circuit has been blamed on the negligence of electricians. No investigation has been launched into the matter as yet.

The team of electricians deployed to conduct regular checkups of the runway from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm had known that the central parts of the runway lights were functioning on a single circuit, meaning that if one light is on, the other is off.

“They took the issue lightly and reported to the air traffic controller (ATC) that everything was fine,” said an airport official. “However, the system at the control tower had indicated a malfunction in the runway lights.”

If 15 percent of the runway lights are not functioning, the system at the ATC tower sets off an alarm. “We had informed the electricians about the malfunction in the runway lights, but the on-duty electrician did not take the issue seriously,” said an ATC.

“It’s not a serious problem, but sometimes a single circuit can become the primary cause of electrical fires when more than one outlet is wired to a single circuit,” the official added. A fire broke out in the main electric supply at 9:05 pm immediately after an aircraft was released from the airport. The fire was doused by a fire engine immediately and the airport authorities issued a notice to airmen that the airport had been closed for two hours. The airport resumed normal operations at 11:30 pm.

The blackout led a China Southern flight to be diverted to Dhaka, Dragon Air to Kolkata and Jet Airways to Lucknow. A Fly Dubai flight was put on hold over Simara for two and a half hours. Malindo Air was diverted to Kolkata and its flight was cancelled. Passengers on three aircraft, including Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, were told to disembark at the airport immediately after the short circuit.

Tourism Ministry officials said that it was sheer negligence of TIA. Last Wednesday, a Turkish Airlines plane skidded off the runway and veered onto the grassy shoulder after losing balance during landing. The country’s sole international airport was closed for four days that left at least 50,000 travellers stranded in and out of the country.