High alert for passengers: Swiss airports are in complete meltdown, IT outage grounds flights, cancels departures across Zurich, Geneva, Basel – Travel And Tour World

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A widespread IT outage on Friday significantly impacted air travel in Switzerland as the Swiss Airports are in complete meltdown with flight cancellations and delays, sending out a high alert for passengers.

The issue, attributed to a system update by IT security firm Crowdstrike caused disruptions at major airports throughout the country including Zurich Airport (ZRH), Geneva Airport (GVA), and Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Airport (BSL).

Zurich Airport Sees Grounding and Cancellations

Zurich Airport, Switzerland’s busiest air hub, experienced the most significant disruptions. Landings were temporarily suspended mid-morning, leading to delays and cancellations.

The airport gradually resumed normal operations by early afternoon, but not before approximately 100 flights to and from Zurich were grounded.

Passengers faced additional challenges with manual check-in procedures implemented by some airlines due to the IT issues.

Zurich Airport advised travellers to contact their respective airlines directly for the latest flight information.

Skyguide Reduces Air Traffic Capacity

Swiss air traffic control service provider Skyguide also felt the impact of the outage. They reduced the capacity of transit air traffic over Switzerland by 30% on Friday morning.

This included a similar reduction in approaches to Zurich Airport, contributing to the grounding of flights earlier in the day.

Geneva and Basel Mulhouse Face Delays

While Geneva Airport reported no direct IT-related problems, delays and cancellations still occurred due to airspace monitoring issues.

At Basel Mulhouse Airport, ground operations were disrupted as airlines and service providers grappled with technical difficulties.

Despite these challenges, the airport maintained no significant impact on flight handling.

Swissport Baggage Handling Systems Impacted

The global service company Swissport, responsible for baggage handling at many airports worldwide, was severely affected by the outage.

Most of their baggage handling systems in Switzerland were rendered inoperable.

Swissport confirmed they were working with Microsoft to resolve the issue.

Limited Disruptions to Other Sectors

The Federal Administration of Switzerland reported no significant issues as of midday Friday.

The Federal Office for Cybersecurity was not aware of any outages impacting critical infrastructure, although they acknowledged receiving reports from various companies.

Financial services provider PostFinance and telecommunications provider Swisscom also confirmed their operations were unaffected.

Airlines Potentially Impacted

While the specific airlines affected by the outage are not explicitly mentioned in the referenced sources, some of the major airlines operating out of Switzerland include:

Swiss International Air Lines
Lufthansa
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
SAS Scandinavian Airlines
EasyJet

Passengers flying with any airline from Zurich, Geneva or Basel Mulhouse airports on Friday, June 14th, 2024, should directly contact their airline for the latest information regarding potential delays or cancellations caused by the IT outage.

Travellers Advised to Check Flight Status

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recommends that all travelers check their flight status with their airline directly before heading to the airport, especially during times of potential disruptions.

This will help ensure passengers have the most up-to-date information and can adjust their travel plans accordingly.