IT breakdown lame German airports: huge waiting times during controls!

IT breakdown lame German airports: huge waiting times during controls!

Frankfurt, Deutschland - A serious computer failure paralyzed the entry controls at German airports on Thursday, January 3, 2025. According to the Federal Police and the German Interior Ministry, border controls were particularly affected when entering from non-Schengen states. The technical failure caused many passengers to face long waiting times at the airports. In Düsseldorf, for example, many had to fall back on manual passport checks, while the effects at Frankfurt Airport remained moderate, even if some travelers reported over longer waiting times.

disorder and their effects

The problems started around 2:00 p.m. and drew themselves into the evening when the federal police finally gave the all -clear. In particular at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport, 450 passengers were able to wait in the terminal, which caused great unrest. The affected systems of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), which are essential for the police information network, temporarily led to a standstill of the routine controls, which significantly delayed the return trip from guests from non-Schengen states. However, the federal police stated that additional civil servants were deployed to defuse the situation and that the air traffic was not directly affected, such as 5vision.news reported.

The exact causes of this IT breakdown are not yet known. The BKA works closely with the responsible authorities to fix the disorders and determine the reasons. However, the incidents have rekindled the discussion about the need to modernize the IT infrastructure in the federal police. Heiko Teggatz, the chairman of the Federal Police Union, also criticized the Interior Minister Nancy Faeser for the fact that no financial resources have been provided for improving the systems for three years. "This is an absolutely homemade problem of the Federal Minister of the Interior," said Teggatz. The disorder on Thursday not only affected travelers, but also showed the structural weaknesses within the federal police.