Lufthansa, the German airline, faced flight cancellations and delays on Wednesday due to a company-wide IT outage, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in airports. However, the airline
has reported that its flight operations are now stabilizing at Frankfurt airport, and departures are possible once again. Lufthansa has stated that it expects the situation to ease further in the next few hours, with flights expected to be “largely on schedule” on Thursday. The airline revealed that the IT outage was caused by construction work in Frankfurt that damaged the fiber optic cables of a telecoms service provider, resulting in an outage in Lufthansa’s IT system at the airport.
The Lufthansa Group owns several other carriers, including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, and Swiss, and the IT outage affected all of them. The company apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers and recommended that passengers traveling to Frankfurt avoid the city’s airport. Lufthansa offered a solution for domestic passengers, allowing them to switch to Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national rail service, free of charge until Sunday.
Shares in the company initially fell on the news of the IT outage but were down by just 0.1% at the time of the report. It’s not the first time the airline has experienced an IT outage, with a similar issue occurring in 2019, causing hundreds of flights to be canceled.
IT outages in the aviation industry can be particularly challenging, as airlines rely heavily on technology to manage their operations, including bookings, check-ins, and luggage handling. As a result, any disruption can cause significant delays and cancellations, leading to frustrated passengers and financial losses for airlines.
Lufthansa’s situation highlights the importance of having robust IT systems and contingency plans in place to deal with such issues. Companies should prioritize cybersecurity and regularly test their IT systems to minimize the risk of outages. Additionally, having backup systems and alternative options for passengers can help airlines manage the fallout from any disruptions.
While Lufthansa may have stabilized its operations and expects flights to be back on schedule soon, the airline will need to work to regain passengers' trust and minimize the impact of the outage on its reputation. Photo by Lasse Fuss, Wikimedia commons.