Image: (APA/AFP/CHRISTOF STACHE)
A global IT breakdown at the AUA parent company Lufthansa is currently causing delays and flight cancellations. The computer systems for boarding, among other things, were not operational as of Wednesday morning. A Lufthansa spokeswoman explained that they are working intensively on a solution. A crisis team met at the Lufthansa headquarters at the airport.
An unknown number of flights have been delayed or cancelled. Passengers and planes were backed up in Munich and at Frankfurt Airport. The passengers were also not allowed into the waiting machines by means of a tally sheet because, according to the staff, important information about the departure was missing. All domestic German flights were initially canceled and passengers were asked to switch to the train.
Because of the IT breakdown at Lufthansa, German air traffic control has temporarily closed Frankfurt Airport for landings. This is to prevent the hub from filling up, as a spokesman for air traffic control confirmed. The machines are diverted to other airports such as Nuremberg, Cologne or Düsseldorf.
For the second Lufthansa hub in Munich, there was initially no blocking of air traffic control. In the case of longer-lasting problems, however, this is an option. International flights are also affected by the landing ban, meaning that many transfer passengers will miss their connections.
When asked by OÖN, the Lufthansa subsidiary AUA said that Vienna was also affected by delays, but to a much lesser extent than Frankfurt. Flights from Vienna to Frankfurt are suspended, other flights could be delayed, said a spokeswoman. She advises all air travelers to inform themselves online and to check the status of the flight.
The cause of the IT breakdown was initially unclear: a hacker attack is ruled out. According to the company, construction work on a railway line in Frankfurt caused the problems. Several fiber optic cables from Deutsche Telekom were said to have been severed by an excavator on Tuesday. According to a report by the hessenschau.de portal, the Telekom disruption affected the greater Frankfurt area, with a focus on the north. The airport is in the west of the Main metropolis. On Twitter, travelers report long queues and that Lufthansa employees collect data with pen and paper.
This article is continuously updated.
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