On Thursday, a technical disruption at the German Air Traffic Control caused significant delays and cancellations throughout German airspace. The largest German airport in Frankfurt was particularly affected, with around 100 flights canceled by Friday afternoon. Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart also suffered from the impact of the disruption, which began around 9:00 AM in the morning.

The cause of the disruption was a failure of flight plan data and weather information, leading to various delays nationwide. Although the systems have been running again since 10:25 AM, the effects are still noticeable for passengers on Friday. Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport, reported that more than 1,300 takeoffs and landings are planned, but further delays and possible additional flight cancellations are still to be expected. A Fraport spokesperson advised travelers to regularly check their flight status online and adjust their arrival time at the airport accordingly.

Lufthansa also confirmed isolated flight cancellations and delays but emphasized that long-haul flights remain unaffected for now. However, the airline expects that the impacts could still be felt until Friday. At Berlin Airport, there were maximum delays of up to one hour, especially around midday, with some flights to Munich and Frankfurt being canceled.

The Bavarian state government called for quick solutions to address the problems that have arisen. Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) expressed dissatisfaction with the current performance of Munich Airport and urged all parties involved to get the problem under control immediately. The airport itself organized an information meeting in the late afternoon, where representatives from Fraport, Lufthansa, and the security company SGM were to provide information about immediate measures.

Despite the rectified disruption, the government of Upper Bavaria emphasizes that there are no staffing shortages. A total of 62 security lanes were in operation at the airport, and two additional lanes were upgraded to increase capacity. Nevertheless, unions such as the DGB Bavaria criticized the working conditions contributing to untenable situations.

On Thursday, the high number of simultaneous arrivals led to an overload of security checks, resulting in long wait times and extreme queues. Terminal 2, used by Lufthansa, was particularly affected as many passengers arrived at the airport well before their flights.