Eindhoven Airport Faces Major Disruption Due To Technical IT Issues At Defence Ministry

Eindhoven Airport experienced a significant disruption with all flights grounded and arrivals diverted, due to technical IT issues at the Ministry of Defence. The disruption, which began at 8:00 AM and lasted until 5:00 PM, left thousands of passengers stranded with little to no information. Many were transferred by bus to alternate airports in Germany, Belgium, and Amsterdam, while others received minimal support. The Red Cross was activated to assist, as passengers struggled in the crowded terminal, with some resorting to sitting on luggage or security bins due to a lack of seating. The disruption impacted more than 50 flights and thousands of travelers, and the situation was exacerbated by rising temperatures, with concerns over the heat adding to the chaos. The airport is expected to resume operations late in the afternoon, but many flights remained canceled or diverted, with airlines like Transavia, Ryanair, TUI, Wizzair unable to guarantee solutions for all passengers. The cause of the outage, affecting both the airport and various national services, remains under investigation. Schiphol Airport was also expected to face moderate delays in the morning, according to Eurocontrol. The Amsterdam-area airspace was facing capacity issues, leading authorities to restrict flight arrivals. Eindhoven, the Netherlands on August 28, 2024 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)