Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A telecommunication cut during construction on Wednesday grounded more than 100 flights from Germany's largest airline Lufthansa leading to widespread cancellations and delays at Frankfort International Airport.
The hiccup resulted in thousands of passengers being either stranded in Germany or prevented from landing until the problem is repaired.
"As of this morning, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group are affected by an IT outage, caused by construction work in the Frankfurt region," the carrier said on Twitter. "Unfortunately, this has led to flight delays and cancellations.
The airline said it was "working on a solution swiftly" while asking people who had planned to travel on domestic flights in Germany to book a train ticket and request a refund.
According to the airline flight tracking website FlightAware, Lufthansa canceled 17% of its flights, or 123 total while another 132 flights were delayed. The website said 13% of Frankfort's outbound flights were canceled and 18% delayed.
The German communications company Deutsche Telekom said a concrete drill damaged fiberglass cable more than 16 feet underground during construction work, affecting several thousand Frankfort area customers.
"Our technicians are already on site," Telekom said in a tweet. "Due to the considerable damage and situation on the construction site, the remedy will be extremely difficult.
Telekom added that two cables had already been repaired overnight.
We continue to work at full speed on the repair. The situation is continuously improving," the company said.
