DELAYS at Sydney airport were the last thing Griffith’s Chris Farrugia and Nick Nardi wanted after a 20-hour flight on Friday.
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The two, who attend the University of Wollongong, were returning from Italy after a five-and-a-half month exchange in Bologna.
Mr Farrugia, 21, said the two were lucky, with Mr Nardi the last person to go through security before alarms sounded, signalling there was a malfunction.
“I went first and Nick went through; just as he stepped through the metal detector, all the alarms went off. He just got through as they shut off the gates.”
Their flight to Griffith was scheduled for 10am, but was delayed by about two hours.
Mr Farrugia said staff were running around the airport and there were constant messages saying there was a malfunction.
It wasn’t until another passenger in the airport said it was on the news, that the two Griffith residents found out there was a power outage in Terminal 2.
Mr Farrugia said initially there was a lot of frustration, with people saying they couldn’t afford to have their flights delayed.
The two finally boarded about noon, but their luggage had not made it onto the plane.
They arrived home and had to retrieve their luggage from the airport later that night.
Mr Farrugia, who is studying a Bachelor of Arts with an Italian major, said the exchange was a fantastic experience.
He hopes to one day work for the Australian government as an interpreter.