9:39 am update after the reopening of Swiss airspace
The mess only lasted a few hours. The airports of Geneva and Zürich, among the main ones in Switzerland, were paralyzed this Wednesday morning due to a computer failure at the air traffic controller Skyguide, indicates a tweet from Geneva airport and the ATS-Keystone agency. While take-offs and landings were suspended until 11 a.m. initially, the Skygide air traffic control service even indicated that Swiss airspace was “closed until further notice”.
“A technical breakdown occurred at Skyguide, the Swiss air traffic control service, in the early hours of the morning, which is why Swiss airspace was closed to traffic for safety reasons,” the statement said. from Skyguide. The company “deplores this incident and its consequences for its customers, partners and passengers at Geneva and Zürich airports and is working hard to find a solution”, but gave no explanation on the reasons for the breakdown. , eventually resolved.
Traffic back to pre-pandemic levels
According to the ATS-Keystone agency, international flights to Switzerland have been diverted to, in particular, Milan airport in northern Italy. However, Geneva International Airport announced on Twitter a gradual resumption of air traffic from 8:30 a.m. “Several flights are cancelled. Travelers are asked to check with their company if their flight is maintained, ”warns the airport.
Zurich Airport, the other major air hub, tweeted that “flight operations have resumed”. “Flight operations are scheduled at 50% capacity until 9:30 a.m. and 75% after 9:30 a.m. Zurich is Switzerland’s leading airport with more than 10.2 million passengers boarding or transiting through its terminals in 2021. With the gradual lifting of health restrictions, traffic has increased sharply since March, approaching levels month after month. pre-pandemic.