Lufthansa planes grounded by huge computer failure

German airline forced to delay and cancel flights

A queue of passengers at a Lufthansa check-in counter in Frankfurt. Reuters

German airline Lufthansa was hit by a massive computer failure on Wednesday that led to flights being delayed and cancelled.

The company said damaged fibreoptic cables near its hub at Frankfurt Airport were to blame for the IT problems, which meant passengers were unable to check in.

Photos and videos from several German airports showed chaos, with thousands of passengers waiting in departure terminals. Signs at one check-in counter warned of "massive disruption".

Flights were being diverted from Frankfurt because parking slots were full, while Munich was also heavily affected.

The telecoms cables were damaged during construction work in Frankfurt, a Lufthansa statement said. It added that flights were not expected to stabilise until the early evening.

Lufthansa's share price dropped amid the disruption. Passengers on domestic flights were told to book a train ticket and seek a refund later, as the airline's booking website was also affected.

The failure comes two days before planned strikes at seven German airports that are expected to lead to further disruption.