Air Travel
A partial system failure occurred at Zurich Airport. Capacity is currently limited. (File photo)
Keystone
A partial system outage at Zurich Airport was resolved on Wednesday afternoon. Operations returned to normal at 5:00 p.m. Delays had been occurring since Tuesday.
Today at 18:07
Today at 18:07The 26 delays lasted between three and 45 minutes, as Zurich Airport AG announced on Wednesday afternoon. Further delays are possible as the evening progresses.
The specific cause of the outage is still being investigated, the statement added. However, a cyberattack can be ruled out.
The airport deployed additional staff to minimize the impact as much as possible, according to an initial statement provided Wednesday morning in response to a request from Keystone-SDA. Recreational flights were temporarily suspended for the most part to prioritize regular flight operations.
More “manual labor”
According to the airport, the “Apron Control System” in question is responsible for departure planning, electronic coordination with Skyguide and Eurocontrol, and apron space allocation.
Due to the outage, a pre-planned and rehearsed procedure was implemented, an airport spokesperson wrote. However, this procedure relies on significantly more “manual labor” and therefore does not allow for the same capacity as the system.
Restrictions as early as Tuesday
The partial outage had already caused delays and a few cancellations on Tuesday, the airport spokesperson added. Due to the system outage, eight planes landed on Tuesday after 11:30 p.m., outside of normal operating hours. The last landing took place at 11:55 p.m.
Due to reduced capacity, delays are expected again today, Wednesday. Passengers will be informed by their airlines of any delays or changes to their flights.