Buenos Aires, Feb 24 (NA) - Jorge Newbery Airport experienced a series of complications last night due to a severe storm that hit much of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA). One of the most significant events was the collapse of a drain that caused flooding in a public area. Furthermore, the declaration of a red alert for electrical activity for at least two and a half hours prevented runway operations, forcing many passengers to remain on board aircraft for extended periods. The heavy rainfall caused a gutter to overflow on the upper level of the Aeroparque terminal. Water leaked into a food court area, but there was no risk to passengers. According to the concessionaire, 'last night, due to the intense rains that occurred in the City of Buenos Aires, around 0:50, a gutter that runs internally through the suspended ceiling of the upper level of the Aeroparque terminal overflowed.' They stated that 'this overflow filtered water into the seating area of a food court, so the space was quickly emptied preventively and the slabs from the affected area were removed.' If electrical activity is detected within a 5 km radius of the airport, the system issues a red alert, notifying operational staff and activating sirens and strobe lights in the airport's open operational areas. The Airport Electrical Activity Detection System provides information by detecting lightning between clouds and strikes to the ground, reporting where discharges occur (geographic location with an accuracy of less than 175 m). This system issues a yellow alert when it detects significant electrical activity 15 km from the airport and sends emails and SMS messages to pre-selected operational staff. Four flights that were scheduled to land after midnight landed this morning between 4 and 5, once the storm had passed, while another four flights, three from Aerolíneas Argentinas and one from Jetsmart, were diverted to Ezeiza.
