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German Federal States — News — Airport — computer malfunction — delay — Flight disruption — Düsseldorf — Bonn — disturbance — Air traffic — Computer — United Kingdom — North Rhine-Westphalia — Cologne — Germany — Eurowings — Technology — Airports — Dortmund

Delays and flight disruptions due to global IT failure

In NRW, like in many states around the world, there are massive computer problems. Airports as well as municipalities are affected.

,   and  Vladimir Milov
3 min read
At Cologne/Bonn airport, IT issues cause flight delays.}
At Cologne/Bonn airport, IT issues cause flight delays.}

Computer panne - Delays and flight disruptions due to global IT failure

Global Computer issues at airports in NRW continue to cause delays and cancellations at Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, and Dortmund airports. However, only certain airline companies are affected.

At the largest airport in NRW in Düsseldorf, there are still disruptions during the check-in and boarding processes for Eurowings, according to a airport spokesperson. Manual check-ins are being conducted for Eurowings flights. Affected passengers are being provided with water in the terminal. The airport systems are not affected.

Eurowings Cancels Flights

Eurowings announced at noon that all domestic flights and flights to and from Great Britain with departure times up to 3:00 PM were being canceled to relieve pressure on the affected IT system. A company spokesperson stated. However, Eurowings plans to operate around 80% of its flight schedule.

Over 50 flights were affected by the cancellations, according to the company website. Passengers affected by canceled domestic flights are advised to independently purchase a train ticket and submit it for reimbursement. From and to Düsseldorf, 15 Eurowings flights were canceled, and from and to Cologne, six. The airport in Düsseldorf reported 20 canceled Eurowings flights in the afternoon.

Water for waiting passengers

At Cologne/Bonn Airport, a spokesperson reported that certain parts of the terminal were noticeably busier than usual due to the disruptions and resulting delays. The overall mood among passengers was calm. Water was being distributed to waiting passengers. However, the airport systems were not affected, but rather the check-in and boarding systems of certain airlines.

At Dortmund Airport, in addition to Eurowings flights, the systems of Ryanair and Wizz Air were affected, according to a airport spokesperson. The flight operations are still running despite the disruptions. Three flights have been canceled due to the disruptions, while most others have experienced delays. Already in the afternoon, they had switched to another check-in and boarding system.

IT issue in municipalities to be resolved

In NRW, the disruption also affects the municipalities of Sudwestfalen-IT (SIT), as the company announced in the morning. However, the company could not say how many of the approximately 70 municipalities in NRW were affected or to what extent. A spokesperson later added that they expected to be able to resolve the disruptions in all municipalities by the afternoon.

The County of Soest reported that the effects of the disruption were particularly noticeable for customers and clients of the Foreigners Office, as, for example, no residence permits could be issued at the moment. Here, new appointments were being scheduled. However, most other services of the county administration were running smoothly.

Manufacturer aims to resolve issue

A faulty software update caused global disruptions this morning. Affected were approximately Fluggesellschaften, hospitals, and authorities. The cause was reportedly a faulty update of the IT security system with the name "Falcon Sensor" of the manufacturer Crowdstrike. The manufacturer confirmed the error and declared it fixed in the afternoon. With the concentration in the software industry, it happens regularly that numerous companies are affected by the problems of individual providers.

  1. The computer malfunction at airports in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is currently impacting Eurowings flights, leading to delays and cancellations at Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, and Dortmund Airports.
  2. At Düsseldorf Airport, Eurowings passengers are experiencing disruptions during check-in and boarding, with manual check-ins being conducted as a temporary solution.
  3. The IT issue in NRW also affects municipalities, such as Sudwestfalen-IT (SIT), causing uncertainty for many local government services.
  4. In response to the disruption, Eurowings has canceled several domestic and international flights to and from Great Britain, aiming to minimize the impact on their IT system.
  5. Despite the cancellations and delays, Eurowings is planning to operate around 80% of its flight schedule, providing affected passengers with the option to purchase train tickets and seek reimbursement.
  6. At Bonn-Cologne Airport, disruptions have led to noticeable congestion in certain areas; however, passengers remain calm, with water being distributed to waiting passengers.
  7. Over at Dortmund Airport, apart from Eurowings flights, the computer systems of Ryanair and Wizz Air have experienced issues, leading to canceled flights and delays.
  8. The manufacturer of the faulty update, Crowdstrike, acknowledged the error and released a fix in the afternoon, aiming to address the current technology issues in the global air traffic industry.
  9. In North Rhine-Westphalia, several cities are experiencing various degrees of disruption due to the faulty software update, including Cologne, Bonn, and Düsseldorf Airports.

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