Technical problems Planes take off again in Zurich after IT glitch at Skyguide

No more planes were able to take off from Zurich Airport. This was due to technical problems at Skyguide. Shortly after 4.30 p.m., Zurich Airport announced that the first take-offs had resumed.

No planes were able to take off from Zurich Airport for around 90 minutes on Friday afternoon: Following an IT glitch at Skyguide air traffic control, they were temporarily suspended for safety reasons.

The planes at Zurich Airport remained on the ground from around 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm. The number of planes landing was reduced by half; the planes landed delayed and staggered.

Shortly after 4.30 p.m., Zurich Airport informed the Keystone-SDA news agency that the first take-offs had resumed. It was not yet possible to say how many aircraft and passengers were affected by the IT breakdown at air traffic control.

According to Skyguide air traffic control, the IT breakdown, which only affected Zurich Airport, has been fully rectified. Investigations into the causes are ongoing, but a hacker attack can be ruled out, the company said on request.

Not the first technical problems

Skyguide has repeatedly experienced technical incidents in recent months. On February 18, for example, no take-offs were possible at Zurich Airport for 10 minutes because a server temporarily slowed down. On October 30, 2023, aircraft were also unable to take off for two hours due to technical problems.

The most serious incident occurred in June 2022, when Skyguide's technical systems crashed. The airspace over Switzerland had to be completely closed for five hours.