Paralysis at a European airport. Planes don’t take off or land
Due to a breakdown at Eindhoven airport, traffic was suspended for about three hours. Planes could not take off and land.
On Monday around 11:30 a network failure was detected in the air traffic control tower at Eindhoven Airport. The fault turned out to be so serious that the airport was temporarily paralyzed.
Canceled flights in Eindhoven and delays
Planes scheduled to land were diverted to Rotterdam, Zaventem Airport in Brussels, Maastricht and Weeze in Germany (near the border with the Netherlands). The canceled flights from Eindhoven included the Wizz Air flight to Katowice scheduled for 1:15 p.m. About 2 hours There were delays in the Wizz Air flight from Warsaw, which finally landed in Eindhoven at 16:59. The failure disrupted the plans of up to 3,000 passengers.
The first statements from the Dutch Air Force indicated that the problems might last until the end of the day. The situation returned to normal after three hours. “The problems of the civilian airport were directly related to a nationwide technical problem that affected the Dutch military, as confirmed by the Royal Netherlands Air Force,” nltimes.nl reports. In such circumstances, passengers are not entitled to compensation.
A problem for low-cost airline passengers. Not just a failure
Eindhoven Airport operates both as a civilian airport and a military air base. It is located approximately 7 kilometers west of the city center. Many low-cost airlines fly from it, including Ryanair, Wizz Air, Transavia and Sun Express.
In 2027, all operations at Eindhoven Airport and its surroundings will be suspended for over five months (between February and July 19). There are plans to thoroughly renovate the runway and widen the roadsides. The landing support system (ILS) will be expanded to enable landing in dense fog. The schedule also includes completing renovation works on the terminal.
“Due to the temporary closure, airlines will transfer their operations to other airports and adjust their flight schedules. As a result, passengers from the region will be able to travel through alternative airports during this period, allowing them to continue their journey,” the airport authorities said.
