Geneva, Jun. 15, (dpa/GNA) - The airspace over Switzerland reopened at 8:30 am (0630 GMT) after being closed for several hours due to a “technical malfunction,” air navigation service provider Skyguide said.

Numerous aircraft scheduled to land in Zurich or Geneva had been diverted to neighbouring countries starting early Wednesday morning.

“Good news! Air traffic has gradually resumed,” Geneva Airport tweeted. “Several flights are cancelled. Travellers are asked to check with their company if their flight is maintained.”

Geneva-based Skyguide’s IT network was affected, but “we are not assuming a cyberattack,” spokesman Vladi Barrosa told dpa, adding that a hardware issue was likely to blame.

Once the airspace closure was lifted, Skyguide apologized for the incident.

“Skyguide regrets this incident and its consequences for its customers and partners, as well as for the passengers at the two national airports,” it said.

“Skyguide is doing everything in its power to handle the flights efficiently and to keep delays to a minimum,” it added.

Skyguide was initially unable to tell how many aircraft were diverted or unable to take off as the result of the breakdown.

The morning wave of intra-European were affected, as well as early arrivals from the United States.

Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss was particularly hit. Its long-haul flights were diverted to airports in neighbouring countries, including Lyon, Milan and Vienna.

GNA

Geneva, Jun. 15, (dpa/GNA) - The airspace over Switzerland reopened at 8:30 am (0630 GMT) after being closed for several hours due to a “technical malfunction,” air navigation service provider Skyguide said.

Numerous aircraft scheduled to land in Zurich or Geneva had been diverted to neighbouring countries starting early Wednesday morning.

“Good news! Air traffic has gradually resumed,” Geneva Airport tweeted. “Several flights are cancelled. Travellers are asked to check with their company if their flight is maintained.”

Geneva-based Skyguide’s IT network was affected, but “we are not assuming a cyberattack,” spokesman Vladi Barrosa told dpa, adding that a hardware issue was likely to blame.

Once the airspace closure was lifted, Skyguide apologized for the incident.

“Skyguide regrets this incident and its consequences for its customers and partners, as well as for the passengers at the two national airports,” it said.

“Skyguide is doing everything in its power to handle the flights efficiently and to keep delays to a minimum,” it added.

Skyguide was initially unable to tell how many aircraft were diverted or unable to take off as the result of the breakdown.

The morning wave of intra-European were affected, as well as early arrivals from the United States.

Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss was particularly hit. Its long-haul flights were diverted to airports in neighbouring countries, including Lyon, Milan and Vienna.

GNA