The flight operation at Frankfurt Airport is gradually restored, following the cancellation of arrivals and departures due to the collapse of the IT system of the airline company Lufthansa, which affected all flights of the company and its subsidiaries worldwide. The problem is due to the destruction of a fiber optic cable by an excavator during works for the railway in Hesse.

According to the airport manager Fraport and the German Air Traffic Control Service (DFS), as of 13:20 (local time) 40 approaches per hour have become possible again, “which is close to normal airport operation”. At Frankfurt airport alone, more than 200 flights, most arrivals, were canceled until noon. Many flights were diverted to Dusseldorf, Nuremberg and Munich airports, which were also particularly affected, while passengers on domestic flights in Germany had to travel by train. According to a representative of the company, the full restoration of the operation of the system is expected within the next few hours.

From her side Deutsche Telekom it was confirmed that digger cut fiber optic lines at a depth of five meters late yesterday afternoon and it is unclear how quickly the damage will be repaired.

New problems on flights are expected on Friday as well, as the ver.di trade union has called for a 24-hour warning strike for public sector workers.