Due to an IT issue, all Lufthansa flights to and from Frankfurt were canceled on February 15, 2023, in the morning (local time).
It was unclear at the time of writing how much other Lufthansa Group airlines were impacted.
For instance, Austrian Airlines reported only a few small issues related to this IT outage.
According to reports in the German media, including Der Spiegel, the problem, which impacts check-in, luggage processing, and boarding procedures, is operational and not security related.
Bei Bauarbeiten an einer Bahnstrecke in Frankfurt hat ein Bohrer mehrere unserer Glasfaser-Kabel durchtrennt. Infolge dessen kommt es auch bei der #Lufthansa zu IT-Problemen. Wir arbeiten weiter mit Hochdruck an der Instandsetzung. Die Situation verbessert sich kontinuierlich. https://t.co/qV5iMtSkp4
— Deutsche Telekom AG (@deutschetelekom) February 15, 2023
Air traffic controllers are no longer sending planes to Frankfurt (FRA) as a result of this outage, and all aircraft are being diverted to alternative airports like Dusseldorf (DUS) or Cologne (CGN), preventing FRA from becoming crowded.
Additional information on the cause of the outage was revealed by the German airline in another statement, which explained that telecom operator fiber optic cables were damaged due to building activity. The message further stated that a stabilization of the situation was anticipated by evening.
Later, telecoms provider Deutsche Telekom AG, which provided some images of the damaged cables, confirmed this.
