A disruption at German air traffic control has caused considerable delays at Frankfurt Airport.
The fault at the German air traffic control system led to problems throughout the whole of Germany’s airspace. This according to the air traffic control agency on Friday.
The fault, which has since been rectified, led to flight delays and cancellations.
It led to the loss of flight plans and weather data in particular, the agency said.
Disruption resolved
“The disruption has been resolved, the systems have been running again since 10.25am [0825 GMT].”
However, the data lost during the disruption would have to be re-entered, it said.
At Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt there were “significant delays in operations and flight cancellations”. This according to the website of the airport operator Fraport.
The company spoke of around 70 cancellations. “We don’t expect many more cancellations because the problems have been fixed,” a spokesperson said.
A Lufthansa spokesperson said there were isolated flight cancellations and delays. No long-haul flights were affected, he said.
There could still be some impact on the network on Friday. And the airport operator advised passengers to regularly check the flight status on the websites of the respective airlines.
Reports of chaos
Rustourismnews reported that the German air traffic control service reported a failure in its data exchange system. While the issue has since been resolved, the agency has not provided further details on the matter, it said.
The incident follows another major disruption at Munich Airport. A line of passengers stretched across the entire terminal, reaching a length of 2km. Many travellers missed their flights due to extended wait times. The airport administration has warned that similar delays could occur this weekend due to the conclusion of Oktoberfest.
Against this backdrop, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has criticized Munich Airport. He called it the worst in Europe. Spohr noted that flight delays and staff shortages there have become a common occurrence.
- dpa
