Thousands of passengers were delayed and canceled flights on Wednesday due to a global IT outage at Lufthansa. The computer systems for boarding, among other things, are no longer operational since this morning. In Zurich, however, the effects are currently minor.
⚠️ Important notice regarding current flight cancellations: Since this morning, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group have been affected by an IT outage caused by construction work in the Frankfurt area. Unfortunately, this has resulted in flight delays and cancellations.
— Deutsche Lufthansa (@Lufthansa_DE) February 15, 2023
What happened?
According to the company, the serious IT outage was caused by construction work on a railway line in Frankfurt. Several should be there by Tuesday Deutsche Telekom’s fiber optic cable has been cut by an excavator been, as they say.
A spokeswoman in Frankfurt explained that a solution is being worked on intensively. A crisis team met at Lufthansa’s headquarters at the airport. An unknown number of flights have been delayed or canceled due to the IT outage. “The airlines of the Lufthansa Group are currently affected by an IT outage,” the group said on Twitter.
Transfer to the train
Passengers and aircraft were backed up in Munich and Frankfurt Airport. The passengers were also not allowed into the waiting machines by means of a counter sheet because, according to the staff, important information about the departure was missing. All domestic German flights were initially canceled and passengers were requested to transfer to the train.
Due to the serious IT failure at Lufthansa, German air traffic control no longer directs planes to Frankfurt Airport. This is to prevent the hub from becoming full, a spokesman for air traffic control confirmed on Wednesday. The machines are diverted to other airports such as Nuremberg, Cologne or Düsseldorf.
There was initially no blocking for the second Lufthansa hub in Munich. However, this is an option for long-term problems. International flights are also affected by the landing ban in Frankfurt, as a result of which many transfer passengers will miss their connection.
And Zurich airport?
According to a spokeswoman for the company, three flights to Frankfurt at the largest Swiss airport in Kloten ZH (11 a.m.) were affected and had to be cancelled.
A spokeswoman for Swiss said the impact of the IT outage on Swiss subsidiary Lufthansa was “still minor at the moment”. Only the flights to Frankfurt would no longer be operated with immediate effect, she said. We are in close contact with the Lufthansa Group and regret the inconvenience to passengers.
(dsc/sda/awp/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
