Widespread System Failure
On Friday afternoon, a significant IT failure paralyzed police computer systems across all German airports. The systems affected are integral to border control operations, ensuring the verification of passengers entering the country. This development, reported by the “Bild” newspaper citing police sources, has caused major disruptions to airport operations nationwide.
Manual Operations Replace Automation
In response to the outage, police officers have resorted to performing checks manually, significantly slowing down processes. A spokesperson for the Federal Police at Frankfurt Airport, one of the busiest hubs in Europe, confirmed that “many tasks must now be done by hand.” The precise cause of the IT failure remains unclear at this time, and authorities have not yet provided an estimate for when the systems will be fully operational again.
Ongoing Impact
Travelers are advised to anticipate delays and prepare for extended waiting times at entry points. The situation underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to unexpected technical malfunctions and raises questions about the resilience of systems that support international travel.