Atlanta City Council approves $130 million generators for Hartsfield-Jackson

December 16, 2017 Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: The ticket counters were swamped with travelers on Monday Dec. 18, 2017 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport the day after a massive power outage brought operations to halt. Power was restored at the world’s busiest airport after a massive outage Sunday afternoon that left planes and passengers stranded for hours, forced airlines to cancel more than 1,100 flights and created a logistical nightmare during the already-busy holiday travel season. Frustration remained high Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as passengers tried to figure out if they could get to their next destinations. As of 7 a.m. Monday, 405 flights have been canceled. UPS and FedEx say the fire that knocked out power and shut down the world’s busiest airport won’t delay holiday package deliveries. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

December 16, 2017 Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: The ticket counters were swamped with travelers on Monday Dec. 18, 2017 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport the day after a massive power outage brought operations to halt. Power was restored at the world’s busiest airport after a massive outage Sunday afternoon that left planes and passengers stranded for hours, forced airlines to cancel more than 1,100 flights and created a logistical nightmare during the already-busy holiday travel season. Frustration remained high Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as passengers tried to figure out if they could get to their next destinations. As of 7 a.m. Monday, 405 flights have been canceled. UPS and FedEx say the fire that knocked out power and shut down the world’s busiest airport won’t delay holiday package deliveries. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

The Atlanta City Council on Monday approved $130 million for airport generators in the wake of a massive blackout in December.

The generators would power the entire airport in the event of another full outage, according to officials at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Short-term financing will pay for the generators, which will ultimately be covered by airline rent payments, the airport says.

The generators are expected to take two-and-a-half years to get approvals, carry out the contracting process and install.

Plans are for about 20 generators across the airport's two terminals and seven concourses.