Lufthansa reports limited impact from US takeoff ban

The temporary takeoff ban for flights to the United States affected airlines belonging to Lufthansa "only to a limited extent," the German aviation group said on Saturday.

"The majority of US flights were able to take place as planned," Lufthansa announced after Friday's nationwide ground stop that officials blamed on problems with an outdated air traffic control system.

Isolated flights were cancelled and delays also occurred on several flights, the company said. It expects to be able to operate its flight schedule to the US as planned over the course of the day.

"Nevertheless, isolated delays may still occur," Lufthansa stated. "We regret the inconvenience caused to our guests by this extraordinary situation."

Affected passengers are being actively informed via email and, in the event of a flight cancellation, should automatically receive a notification with an alternative travel option.

All flights from Europe to the United States were temporarily suspended overnight in response to the situation, though the direct consequences remained manageable due to night flight bans in many places.

Early in the morning, the European aviation safety agency Eurocontrol removed the takeoff ban notice from its website and urged airlines to issue delay notices for aircraft that could not immediately depart.

In the US, no takeoffs were permitted for domestic flights for around four hours - the longest grounding since the one after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, instability in the radio and radar system was the cause.

However, at least some overseas aircraft were allowed to take off, according to media reports and eyewitnesses.