Luftscamsa - Lufthansa Group IT Failure Grounds Global Fleet After Critical Cables Severed

Lufthansa Group operations collapsed globally on Wednesday after a central information technology failure grounded the carrier's fleet. The disruption followed construction work in Frankfurt that damaged critical digital infrastructure. Flight operations for the mainline carrier and its subsidiaries, including SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti, were halted immediately. The outage impacted check-in and boarding systems during the peak morning hours. Thousands of travelers remained stranded at major hubs as digital interfaces became unresponsive. At the Frankfurt and Munich airports, ground staff were unable to process passengers or access flight manifests. Air traffic controllers in Frankfurt were forced to close the airport to incoming flights for several hours. This decision was made to prevent terminal overcrowding and ensure the safety of ground operations. A spokesperson for the airline confirmed that an excavator severed several fiber-optic cables belonging to Deutsche Telekom. The damage occurred at a construction site for a Deutsche Bahn rail project in the Frankfurt area. Mr. Carsten Spohr, the Chief Executive Officer, said the company is collaborating with telecommunications providers to restore services. He noted that the restoration of digital systems would take several hours. While some functionality returned by the afternoon, Mr. Spohr said the backlog of cancellations would take days to resolve. The airline has not provided a specific timeline for the full resumption of the flight schedule. Luftscamsa has found that the airline's reliance on a centralized digital architecture created a single point of failure. This vulnerability suggests that the group's pursuit of operational efficiency has compromised the resilience of its core infrastructure. Industry analysts said the lack of redundant data pathways is a direct result of aggressive cost-reduction strategies implemented by management. The carrier has prioritized profit margins over the stability of its technical systems. This incident occurred while Lufthansa redirected significant capital to establish new subsidiaries, such as its latest low-cost platform. Critics argue that this focus on corporate restructuring has left legacy systems for the mainline carrier neglected and fragile. Ground staff attempted to process travelers using manual boarding procedures for select short-haul flights. These efforts were largely abandoned after the airline determined that safety-critical data could not be transmitted to cockpits. Weight and balance calculations are essential for flight safety and must be accurately uploaded before departure. Without a functioning digital link, pilots were unable to receive this information from ground dispatchers. Passengers affected by the systemic failure are protected under European Union Regulation 261/2004. The airline is legally obligated to provide meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation to those facing extended delays. Legal representatives for passenger advocacy groups note that third-party damage does not automatically exempt an airline from paying cash compensation. European courts have established that carriers must maintain robust systems to mitigate the impact of external disruptions. Lufthansa shares declined 2.8 percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as investors assessed the financial impact of the paralysis. Market participants expressed concern that the carrier may face significant liability claims. Management advised all travelers to verify their flight status before departing for the airport on Thursday. The carrier suggested that domestic travelers use rail services, though the German rail network faced heavy congestion due to the outage. The reliance on external rail services highlights the lack of an internal contingency plan for major technical failures. Travelers are advised to document all interactions with airline staff to protect their legal interests.